Suffering You
by HexalianRebelAgent
Summary: Cronus Ampora meets an abused, terrified little mutant boy and immediately feels the need to help him. Kankri Vantas sees jocks as a threat and refuses to trust them. Between them falls a venture to break a brotherly pact and allow the rest of the world into the Vantas boys' hearts.
1. The Sufferers

**A/N: A sort of a sad start to a story. It's written in humanstuck, and the Vantas family is made up of neko boys. Why? Because trolls with red blood are mutants; when you make them human, you have to give them some kind of mutation or the effect is lost.**

* * *

It was a very sad and battered Vantas that the Ampora met that evening. In the park, bound upside-down to a remote tree and covered in mud was a short neko boy in a long red sweater. The wool garment fell with gravity and bared his stomach; drawn there in incriminating black marker was INSUFFERABLE MUTANT. The Ampora had run over and quickly untied him, carefully lowering him to the ground. His nose had been bleeding earlier, and the streak had dried all the way down his chin-So, he'd been beat up before strung up…-; a vicious blue-violet bruise also wrapped around his eye. He groaned softly and started coughing, and the Ampora suddenly realized he recognized this boy.

"Vantas?" he murmured, and the boy glanced fearfully up at him. "Kankri, right?" The cat-boy didn't answer; instead, he ran, quickly yanking up a hood attached to his sweater. The Ampora knelt there, stunned; so it **had** been Kankri that he saw the football jocks at school punching around during the lunch periods…Him and his little half-brother. It quickly reminded him that he was wearing his letter jacket from the baseball team. All the jackets they gave out at Skaia High looked the same; that gaudy purple and gold could be seen from a plane. It was probably what freaked out the kid so much. He stood and picked up the athletic jump ropes and tape that had been binding him; it was definitely from the football team. No doubts for a second. He hummed to himself softly, standing up and leaving. He knew they could be jerks, but this was just criminal…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The Vantas boy had run home, cutting through backyards to escape public eyes. He opened the back door to his house, crying softly. His younger half-brother, Karkat, was at the kitchen sink dressed in a robe; his clothes were piled on the floor and covered in paint. Their father, Karmene, looked up at him sadly, his pointed grey ears folding back as he sighed, continuing his venture of washing Karkat's newly purpled hair.

"Take yours and your brother's clothes to the wash." He said, his tone suggesting it wasn't an order of highest priority. "I'll get to your hair after I'm done here."

"I'll wash it myself…" he sobbed softly, scooping up Karkat's clothes as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Are you bleeding?!" Karkat called after him. "And your eye! What the hell did they do to you?! I swear, next time I see them-"

"I'm fine!" he shouted out the biggest lie he'd ever told, and he hadn't told many lies. He stomped up the stairs and into the room he shared with Karkat, stripping off the muddy sweater that one of his best friends had made for him. She was always making him these sweaters, and those bastards were always ruining them. He tossed it and his grey jeans into the pile of clothes, grabbing some pajamas before going into the bathroom.

"Kankri?" Karkat called softly as he entered the bathroom, the older brother looked up at him as he dried his hair, twisting the towel in his ear. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live." He mumbled. "Are you?"

"You know they don't get me as rough as they get you, Kankri." The elder boy huffed, wringing his tail over the bathtub.

"Has anything happened to Dad?" he asked.

"Not today… He's lucky he's not in school anymore…" Karkat sat on the edge of the tub beside his brother, wringing out his own tail over the drain.

"Yeah… It is rough." Kankri picked up a wire brush from the edge of the sink, motioning for Karkat to turn so he could brush his tail back to its normal fluffiness. This was their life though: they were constantly harassed for their mutations. Both his and Karkat's mothers had been berated by the community for loving Karmene and creating them; Kankri's mother had abandoned them, saying she couldn't be surrounded by freaks anymore. Karmene had been the stronger man and told Karkat's mother to leave in fear that she'd be abused as well. He and Karkat were hated by a fair 90% of their respective communities, and they held a pact not to put too much trust in anyone but a very select few and each other; and never to someone in a letter jacket. They wouldn't lie: they prayed for the day they could break that pact, but it seemed like it would never come. Kankri sighed; he didn't hold his breath for it. He lightly kissed Karkat's forehead and nudged him toward the bathroom door, ushering him to bed for the night. After putting all their clothes in the washing machine, he turned in as well.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Hey, Dad?" the Ampora called to his house. "Dad?! I want to talk to you!"

"He's not here, Cro." His younger cousin called from the couch. "He's on a date."

"Can I talk to you then, Eridan?" he asked, leaning over the back of the couch.

"I guess, if you must."

"You're friends with a loud little boy with cat ears and a tail right?"

"You mean Kar? Yeah, we tolerate each other, I guess. I'm only 'friends' with him because Sol is."

"Do you know his older brother?"

"I've seen him around, and Kar talks about him sometimes."

"…Did you know they get bullied at school?"

"Well, the others and I, we see him crying sometimes, and he's come around with black eyes and scars. He just screams at us to mind our own business. We've been suspicious though, I guess…"

"Well, they do get bullied. Pretty badly too. It's criminal what people do to them just because they look different."

"Are you gonna do something about it, or are you just preaching? Kar says that Kankri does that a lot."

"Of course I'm going to do something, Eridan. Besides, Kankri is in some of my classes… I think he's kind of cute."


	2. Saints Among Us

The next day was -God, bless it- Friday, and Karmene's car pulled up outside the high school. Kankri cautiously got out of the passenger-side door.

"Good luck today, Kankri." His father called, and he gave a sad smile as he watched him drive away. He looked around nervously, his ears drooping and his tail sweeping in fear. Where were they?

"What's up, red?" A voice called coolly toward him. He turned to see a girl in a blue jumpsuit skateboarding toward him.

"Latula…" he sighed, relief in his voice. "Where's Mituna?"

"Oh, you know him;" she chuckled. "He's sneaking around somewhere." He smiled softly; good to know the Captor wasn't changing.

"Is he inside? Should we just go in?" Kankri asked. Latula nodded, picking up her skateboard and accompanying him to the door. As they entered, two girls in dresses; a tall, older girl in green, and a shorter girl in blue; approached them. The girl in green swiftly embraced him in her overbearing, motherly way.

"Oh, sweetie, I was so worried when I heard what happened!" she said, holding him tightly; she looked worriedly at the slightly fading bruise under his eye.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You, Kankri! Someone found you tied up in the park with the football team's equipment and reported them. Like, a quarter of the team got suspended for it."

"There goes the football season." A boy lisped as he approached them, dressed in a police uniform.

"Ah, Officer Captor, good for you to join us." Kankri nodded, appealing to Mituna's current personality; he looked back up at the young lady in green. "And that many of them? Really, Porrim?"

"At least 7 of them are benched for the next month." She confirmed. "We overheard the coach chewing them out."

"Oh, cool." The Vantas boy said with dripping sarcasm. "That'll give them more time to mess with me. Fun…"

"Don't worry, honey." Porrim said softly, hugging him. "I'll do my best to keep them away from you."

"In the meantime," the girl in blue piped up, handing him a folder. "You have the debate team to distract you." He chuckled softly.

"Thank you, Aranea. I'll keep that in mind." All of a sudden, his feline reflexes kicked in, and he hid behind Porrim as a tall figure in a letter jacket boldly approached them. He told himself not to worry; Porrim would politely ask him to leave, and if he didn't, the others would do all they could to hold him off.

"Ah, good morning, Cronus." Porrim said, seeming delighted to see him. What was she doing?! He cowered as the tall boy smirked playfully down at him.

"Hey there, kitty." He greeted with a playful tease and a bright smile; He had his letter jacket slung over his shoulder. He looked back up at Kankri's guard.

"So, has the coach let the football team out yet?" he asked, chuckling.

"…Nope." Aranea noted. "I can still hear him from here."

"I, uh… I admit I feel a little bad for it." Cronus murmured softly, so only the group would hear. "They'd kill me if they found out."

"Wait…" Latula gasped. "You're the one who reported them?" Mitu—er, Officer Captor smacked his shoulder.

"I don't know if I should commend your kindness or arrest you for knowingly sabotaging our season!" he shouted through his lisp; Cronus put a hand over his mouth.

"Keep it down, Sergeant Psycho!" he snarled. "I **just** said no one else can know about this!"

"Why did you do that?" Kankri asked, honestly confused. He had always been positive that all the jocks were hell bent on his demise.

"Should I not have?" Cronus asked with a bantering smirk on his face. "You were out cold and tied to a tree when I found you. I don't think helpless would have begun to define the situation." Kankri's ears drooped and he blushed with hurt pride. Cronus chuckled, boldly reaching out and ruffling his hair. He flinched away nervously out of instinct, and Cronus pulled back, smiling softly and digging through his jacket pocket. He lightly tossed a red leather wallet into the Vantas boy's hands.

"I believe that's yours." He smirked. "I found it under the tree, but you had already run off." Kankri felt his cheeks heat up slightly once again; he had been sure that this was stolen along with his Collectors' edition pocket watch, but the act of kindness would not convince him to not check the wallet later to make sure his $200 were still there.

"D-Did you see a watch there too?" he asked hopefully; his father had bought him that watch back when he was still a kitten. It had a picture of him, Karmene, and Karkat on the inside, and he treasured it more than just about everything.

"Was it, like, a really sweet pocket watch made of gold and silver?" Cronus asked, a curious look playing his face.

Kankri's eyes lit up as he nodded.

"I saw one of the football players with it…" he confessed, visibly cringing when he saw the light in Kankri's eyes die instantly. "Don't worry though, shorty. I'll get it back."

"You'd stand up to those brutes for little Kankri?" Porrim asked, smiling brightly, and Cronus smirked and nodded like it was no big deal. The bell rang loudly, and the group disbanded, Latula and Mituna walking with Kankri to their chemistry class.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The Ampora watched as the others went to class. What the hell had he gotten himself into? He wanted to help the poor kid and all, but taking on the football team was like staring down a pack of wolves. He had a first-period study hall, and the supervising teacher was super lenient; as long as he showed up before the transition bell, he was just fine. He made his way to the athletics hall, where the gym, the pool, and all the other training rooms were. Reading the door numbers, he opened the door to the second weight room. As mentioned earlier, confronting the football team was like trying to confront a cannonball with your face; both are highly unrecommended and will land one in the grave before the hospital.

He was lucky enough to have a man on the inside.

"Yo, Rufioh!" he greeted heartily as he locked the door behind himself. The boy on the bench looked up and smiled. From his back extended a pair of long brown wings, around which he had looped the rings from the weight machine he sat by. Rufioh was the football team's permanent manager; since the principal knew about his wings and said he didn't want to risk him cheating by using them; For similar reasons, Cronus wasn't allowed to be on the swimming or diving teams. Flexing his wings steadily, Rufioh could lift almost 300 pounds; it was a good thing he weighed just under 200. Those wings were those of Grounded Angels; it was an odd myth that Cronus didn't really understand, even though Rufioh tried really hard to make it simple. If there was one thing the Ampora did know, it was that Rufioh's wings were awesome; the feathers on the insides were soft and downy, and he angel would always tingle and giggle when he ran his fingers through them. In fact, he decided to do so, smirking as the teenage Nitram shuddered and bit back a boyish laugh.

"Stop it." He growled, swatting his hand away and setting the weights down, making his wings disappear into thin air. That trick always made Cronus stare at his back for a moment; he would never understand this guy.

"You are a real piece of work, aren't you?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. Did you want something or what?"

"Yes, actually. Remember that short kid that Porrim's always doting on?"

"Uh, I think so. K-something-or-other. People beat on him like a damn punching bag."

"His name's Kankri. Someone on the football team stole a pocket watch from him. Think you've seen it?"

"I was wondering where Arthur got such an awesome piece. No way he could have afforded something like that out of the blue. Don't worry, I can probably weasel it back for you."

"Thanks, Nitram."

"Hey, since when do you care about that kid? Or anyone for that matter? I've always known you to be a bit selfish." Cronus rolled his eyes; he wouldn't exactly deny that… but he was a different person this year. Plus, he'd always expected someone with such cool features would be super popular, not shamed and harassed like this.

"Listen, I'm just worried about him, okay? Leave it at that."

"You like the little cat-boy, don't you?"

"Shut up. I just want to help out a kid who gets bullied; is that weird? Is that wrong?"

"No, no, jeez, chill out, Ampora. Like I said, I'll get the watch back; you can relax."

Cronus sighed and smiled, nodding gratefully as he left the weight room, heading to his study hall. Hopefully, Rufioh could stand up against the team all by his lonesome. The Ampora felt ashamed the more he thought about it; he was sending someone else to fight a battle he should have fought himself. He sighed and went back into the weight room. Part of him would regret such chivalry, mainly the parts that decipher pain.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It was midday when Karkat sat in the nurse's office at the middle school, an ice pack over his eye and bandages on his face and arms. Some 8th graders had tried to sabotage a painting he was making in art class, and he'd smacked one across the face, his sharp nails drawing drops of blood. They had all grabbed him then, beating him relentlessly until the teacher got back and separated them. They were all in big trouble, but Karkat had gotten out easy, since he'd taken the brunt of the fight.

"H-Hey…" a soft, timid voice called to him; it sounded like he'd just cried for hours. His ear perked and swiveled toward the sound. A young boy was sitting a couple chairs away from him, clutching a beheaded teddy bear-the head hung by a few thin threads-and sporting bruises and bandages all over his arms and legs.

"Um, hi." Karkat said gruffly.

"Y-You're Karkat, right? You have those ears and tail."

"What of it?!" The other boy flinched at Karkat's sudden shift in volume.

"N-Nothing! I-I heard you stood up to some bullies during free time the other day."

"They still beat me up though."

"But you stood up to them for a while. I think that's really cool. T-That you're not scared of them, I mean." Karkat smiled softly at the ground, his tail swaying back and forth.

"Thanks…" he mumbled. "Uh, who are you, anyway?"

"Tavros… Tavros Nitram."

"And who's your friend?" Karkat motioned to the bear, and Tavros sniffled and looked down at his teddy bear.

"He's a Teddiursa…" he mumbled. "My big brother named him Moonshine."

"You play Pokémon?" Karkat asked, and Tavros nodded.

"Do you?"

"I've got one game, but I'm not really good. I keep losing battles that are probably supposed to be easy."

"I, uh, I could teach you sometime. The basics are really, uh, well, basic when you get used to them."

"Oh, cool. I'm having some friends over to play games tomorrow actually."

"Just tell me where to go, I'll try to get there." Karkat smiled and nodded, telling him his address and when to come over. It seems good things do come out of being a freak sometimes.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Karmene was at home folding clothes, the telephone tucked between his cheek and shoulder.

"So, what he say when you showed him?" he said eagerly, his friend Diana had very interesting tales. "He said what? Oh, girl… How do you deal with him? Really? His son is your daughter's best friend? Oh, yes, I remember; I believe he might have a little crush on her… Why is that bad? She loves animals. I've seen their farm too, it's gorgeous. It's just on the edge of town; can't miss it. It's only about 20 minutes from my house; I wouldn't mind taking her up there sometime; I've been meaning to take Karkat there. Oh, you have to go?" he stole a glance up at the clock. "Yeah, I have to go too; I'm meeting your headache at the gym for some training. Yes, I am the one he's been training. I gotta go, okay; love ya, Di. Call me later." He hung up the phone and went upstairs, placing the basket of folded clothes on Kankri's bed before going back and retrieving his hat and coat. He shoved his keys into his pocket and went out the door, leaving his car in the driveway and walking to his destination.

He arrived at the gym and put his hat and coat in the cloak room. He wore a red-and-white T-shirt and red sweatpants, and he quickly ran over to his trainer, sitting on one of the mats near him. The trainer in blue acknowledged him with a calm nod and a patient smile.

"I'm sorry if I'm late, Xavier." Karmene apologized. "I walked here like you told me to, though."

"Good, good." Xavier nodded, straightening his blue shirt and standing up. Karmene hopped to his feet, rocking on his heels and folding his ears back. There was no time for conversation; Xavier was throwing punches left and right. The smaller man dodged and blocked them with predictably catlike agility. He attempted a strike, swinging his arm as he would in a real fight, but keeping his fingers curled to avoid actually scratching him. It didn't help either way, because the trainer had sprung away.

"Nice hustle, Karmene!" he called, picking up his bow with rubber-tipped arrows. The neko man growled softly; he hated this part; he wasn't very good at dodging things so fast, and those things stung. Xavier showed no concern for that, though, and fired off multiple shots; he smiled as his student sprang up and dove down and bounced in all directions, only getting grazed by one or two arrows. Suddenly, so suddenly Xavier couldn't warn him, an arrow clipped Karmene's sensitive ear.

"Ouch!" he cried out, looking around. "Where the hell-?" He looked up at a beckoning whistle, seeing a young man in brown sitting up in the rafters. He chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Samuel!" Xavier shouted up at him. "When will you grow up? Come down from there!"

"Alright, alright." The man called down, jumping from his perch and spreading his wings, fluttering easily to the floor. He crossed his wings, and they vanished, leaving him looking perfectly human. If only the rest of the world knew of the Grounded Angels; and if only the Vantas boys could hide their features so well.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Karmene asked with another chuckle.

"Xavier's been teaching me archery." Samuel shrugged. "I think there's a coyote trying to get into the petting zoo."

"I thought you didn't kill animals yourself."

"I won't kill it…Well, I won't try to. I want to try to domesticate it or something. It'd be nice to have a guard like that around."

"Sam, you're crazy. You do realize the backlash a stunt like that could have, don't you?"

"Of course, but I know what I'm doing and how I'm going to do it. Don't try to stop me; just wish me luck." Samuel packed up his bow and waved as he started to leave.

"Hey!" The short neko called. "Is he off the ground yet?" Samuel smiled at the vague code they used.

"He's a late bloomer! He'll be up there one day!" Karmene smiled brightly at his optimism, but Xavier shook his head as Samuel left.

"It'll take a miracle to get that boy off the ground." His combat student twitched with suppressed fury at that word, but turned to him with a hopeful smile.

"Perhaps," he nodded. "But it's one I'll certainly be there to see."

* * *

**A/N: Why does this chapter not please me as much as it did in my head? Hm... Well, anyway, I feel I should get some questions out of the way.**

**1.) Yes, if you couldn't tell, Mituna does have Multiple Personality Disorder**

**2.) Yes, the concept of Grounded Angels will be better explained later.**

**3.) Yes, Samuel is the Summoner, and Xavier is E%ecutor Darkleer. I would tell you who Diana is, but with all the hints I've given, I hope you figure it out yourself. If you can't, you'll just have to be patient. **


	3. So Much in a Morning

**A/N: This chapter took a lot longer than I thought it would. ^^; I apologize for that. Hopefully, the next won't take as long.**

* * *

Saturdays were usually quiet in the Vantas house, but not this time. Karkat was having some of his little friends over to play. Kankri smiled as his brother toyed with the wires connecting his consoles to the living room television.

"I've never seen you so cheerful." He chuckled. "And you've gotten so social; when you were a kitten, you would always hide from everybody." Karkat rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah; I remember." He smiled a bit. "And now, you're the one who hides from people; I stand up to the bullies at my school."

"You're all talk, Karkitten. I'd like to see you take on the thugs at my school."

"I'm brave, not stupid, Kankri." The younger boy huffed. "I know better than to take on beasts like that." Kankri chuckled softly and approached, helping him plug in the last couple of wires. Karmene stood in the doorway of the kitchen, smiling at them.

"Well, I'm glad to see him being so strong." He chuckled. "And speaking of social, how come you never bring your friends over, Kankri? I've seen you with a few people at school."

"Oh... W-Well, you know how it is." He said a bit too quickly. "They're just busy. I'll have them over sometime."

"Mm-hm." Karmene hummed, his face and tone suggesting he didn't believe the teenager for a millisecond. Kankri huffed softly and averted his gaze. All three of them looked up instantly as the doorbell rang, and Karkat was the first to move.

"We really need to stop that if we want to fit in…" he chuckled softly, going to get the door.

"I'll be upstairs if you need me." Karmene smiled, ascending the stairs as the youngest Vantas opened the door. The four boys outside all waved respectfully after him, taking off their shoes as they entered. Kankri looked them all over and chuckled.

"Gamzee, your hair gets worse every time I see it." He laughed, and the younger boy's lazy purple eyes shimmered a bit as he laughed back.

"Well, y'know;" he said with his gravelly, yet calm voice. "I just roll with it, man; if it doesn't want to stay tame, I don't try to make it."

"At least you can see through your hair." The boy in yellow snickered. "Mituna still refuses to get a haircut." His lisp was just as prominent as his older brother's, and just as endearing to hear.

"Yes, I've seen the other Captor's hair." Kankri smiled. "It's quite a sight."

"Why exactly are we standing here talking about hair?" Eridan butt in. "I got my cousin's copy of Assassins' Creed."

"No way, you actually got it this time?" Karkat asked, bouncing on his toes. The young Ampora smirked.

"Believe me, it wasn't easy. If he finds out I took it, we're all dead."

"What'd you bring to the party, little bro?" Gamzee piped up, acknowledging the shy little boy they'd met on their way to Karkat's house. He stopped fiddling with the new stitches on his teddy bear's neck and dug through his pocket, pulling out a flash drive and two GameCube and PlayStation memory cards.

"I brought a bunch of my old games." He mumbled, a slight smile on his face. "And my brother let me borrow Lollipop Chainsaw and Dead Rising 2."

"Wait, wait;" Sollux called out. "My dad won't even let my brother buy Lollipop Chainsaw; your parents let you play it?"

"I have the high score in my house." The other boys all laughed, and the young Nitram tried a smile.

"Those are skills I wanna see." Eridan smiled brightly, and the others agreed, bustling about to get the consoles started and the controllers configured while Tavros pulled a disc carrier full of video games from his backpack. Kankri chuckled and left them to their fun, going down to the basement to get some work done.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Tavros had been playing Lollipop Chainsaw for 2 hours straight without dying once, and the others were stunned. Both at Tavros's skill and at how untamed this game seemed to be.

"Y'know, you don't look like the type to play a game like this, Tav." Eridan chuckled; Tavros shrugged.

"Well, my brother bought it." He said simply. "And he and my dad let me play it a couple months ago. I beat it over a weekend."

"How are you so good at this?" Sollux asked.

"It's just a button-masher. I have a really good memory when it comes to button combinations." His eyes drifted up beyond the television and out the window. "Hey, who's that outside?"

"Someone's outside?" Karkat asked curiously, standing up.

"Yeah, I think he's wearing one of the jackets from the high school." Karkat got up from the couch and looked out the window, leaning on the sill.

"Eridan, didn't you say your cousin wasn't coming to get you guys until six?"

"That's what he told me." Eridan shrugged. "Is he out there?" Karkat approached the door as it was softly rapped on. As he opened it, a flash of shock and concern entered his eyes.

"Hey, runt." The older Ampora said a bit weakly, leaning heavily on the doorframe. He had a couple bruises and a single bandage on his face and a stain of blood on his jeans at one knee, and his clothes looked like he'd fallen into a pool; he winced as he walked into the house.

"What the hell happened, Cronus?!" Eridan shouted as Sollux and Gamzee made space for him on the couch. Cronus shook his head, denying their offer.

"It's not important." He smiled, softly ruffling his cousin's hair and looking up at Karkat. "Is your brother here? I have something of his." Karkat huffed, seeming reluctant to tell.

"He's in the basement." He sighed. Cronus nodded gratefully, going over to the basement door, which was cracked open slightly. As he let the door swing softly closed behind him, he heard Karkat growl softly.

"Your cousin better not hurt him, Ampora."

"He wouldn't do that!" Eridan snapped in his defense. He sighed softly; these poor kids. He descended the basement stairs quietly, and he noticed Kankri in the corner. There were two tall bookshelves in that corner, and the neko boy sat in a beanbag chair between them; music played softly from the laptop beside him, and he was clearly absorbed in the book he had in his lap. Cronus smirked to himself and silently crept up on him, ignoring the slight sting of the bandaged wound on his knee. He leaned over and softly blew into his ear, flinching back when Kankri yelped in terror and bounced away from him, his tail puffed up and ears pinned to his head.

"You?!" he questioned breathless as he started to relax a bit. "Why would you do that?!" Cronus snickered, trying his best not to laugh.

"I-I'm sorry, shorty." He giggled. "I couldn't help myself."

"It's not funny, Cronus; you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Cronus just chuckled and picked up the book Kankri had been reading-It was one of those old, sappy romances from the early 20th century-He handed the other boy his book and smiled at him.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Kankri asked, sitting back down; he suddenly noticed his peer's bloody pant leg and bruised face. "And what happened to you?" Ignoring his second question, Cronus sat beside him and dug through his jacket pocket, smiling as he pulled the item out by its chain and held it up.

"This is yours, is it not?" he smirked at the Vantas boy's dazzled face.

"H-How did you get it back?" Kankri asked in awe, accepting the watch in his hands and opening it. His old picture was still inside it, and the watch itself was still ticking.

"Me and my pal, Rufioh, managed to sneak it back for ya." Cronus shrugged and smirked like it was nothing, but he blinked in confusion when he saw Kankri's eyes staring into his.

"You got hurt getting this back, didn't you?" he asked softly. Cronus looked away, trying to avoid those greyish-red eyes. "Didn't you?" The Vantas boy asked again.

"Well…" Cronus droned, and Kankri placed a hand softly on his shoulder.

"Tell me." Cronus stared at his neko schoolmate and sighed.

"Alright, fine…" He breathed. "It's like this: Rufioh and I were going into the school this morning to get your watch…"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"So, you're sure this is a good idea?" the Ampora had asked his Nitram friend. He just chuckled and nudged him.

"Probably not for you, man." He said in concern. "I told you when you asked me: I can handle this. You shouldn't worry."

"Yeah, well, you're my bro, Nitram. If I'm gonna send you into a battlefield, what kinda guy would I be if I didn't go with ya?"

"As far as I know, you'd be normal." Cronus punched him in the arm.

"I'm getting a bit sick of you bringing up the past like that." He huffed. Rufioh rubbed his arm, looking at him carefully.

"Sorry." He said honestly, realizing that the joke was dead. "So, anyway, we're clear on the plan, right?"

"Yeah, yeah; I'll distract the football players out on the field while you break into Arthur's locker to find the watch." Rufioh nodded as they stopped between two doors. One led outside to the football field, and the other led into the football team's locker room. Rufioh leaned over and picked the lock on the locker room door, pulling it slowly open. Cronus ruffled Rufioh's hair for what could have been the last time as he turned and went outside.

Eight of the benched football players were out there, tossing a football amongst each other and talking angrily about a certain Vantas boy. Outnumbered 4 to 1…Dammit.

"'Sup, fellas?" he called casually as he approached.

"Hey, Amp." One of them called back, tossing him the ball. "How've you been?"

"Eh, you know how it is. What are we talking about?"

"You know about that Vantas runt?"

"You mean the freak with the cat ears?"

"Yeah, him. We roughed him up a little the other day, and some asshole rat us out."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Aren't we all? What's worse is that it's the middle of the damn season."

"Yep." Arthur chimed in. "The team is nothing without us, and they know it." The players all gave a shout of agreement, and Cronus chuckled. A buzz from his pocket made him pull out his phone.

"Aw, dammit; it's my dad." He lied as he read the text Rufioh had just sent him. "I gotta get home, guys; he'll have my ass if I don't hurry." He casually tossed the ball back to them as he turned to walk back to the building.

"I know his dad's desperate, but really?" he heard Arthur joke behind his back; another one socked him and said to shut up. Cronus clenched his fist and held his tongue; he'd told Rufioh-and himself-he could get out of this without a fight. He exhaled and kept walking, opening the door and meeting Rufioh by the bathrooms a short ways away the locker room. The Nitram was smiling warmly at the inside of the watch.

"Check that out." He said softly, showing him; a picture of the Vantas family was in the watch's compartment, and it was obviously a few years old. Kankri was sitting in his dad's lap on a couch with a bright smile, and he was tickling his little brother so his smile would be just as noticeable; Their dad was smiling as well, ruffling his youngest son's hair. It was then that Cronus realized he'd never seen Kankri smile; at least, not like that.

"Wow…" he said in slight disbelief. "They actually look happy."

"Heh. Yeah…" Rufioh chuckled. "I concede; you were right, Cronus; Kankri is pretty cute."

"…How do you know I said that?"

"I didn't." Rufioh sneered, and Cronus gave him a light smack on the back of his head.

"Hey!" a voice barked behind them, and they glanced back to see Arthur in the doorway. "Nitram has my watch!" Cronus cursed his stupidity as the other benched football players started charging them. He knew he should have been hurrying them along.

"Book it." Rufioh said quickly, grabbing Cronus's arm and running. Both ran like hell was on their heels, and it actually kind of was. They took a corner, and Rufioh pulled him into the school's pool area, putting the watch in his hands before running up into the bleachers.

"Run, run!" he shouted as Arthur ran in with the others. Cronus especially knew what would happen from running about near the pool, but under the circumstances, he wasn't thinking. He ran and almost immediately fell; some of the tiles around the pool were in terrible need of replacement, and the jagged edges of one of the cut open his knee through his pant leg. He winced, clutching his bleeding knee with one hand. Arthur suddenly jumped on him, socking him across the face, leaving a red mark. Most of the others were going after Rufioh as Arthur pinned Cronus and started trying to beat him into a coma.

"Give me back my damn watch!" he shouted, trying to get the watch from the Ampora's hand.

"You know it's not your watch, fool!" Cronus barked back, holding his wrist to keep his fist out of his face. All their struggling caused Cronus to drop the timepiece; it bounced off the tile and rolled into the pool.

"Dammit!" Rufioh screamed out, and the Ampora's heart sank. The football players chuckled.

"You can have the stupid thing now, you bastards." Arthur sneered, shoving himself off of Cronus and leaving with the others. Once they were all out the door, Rufioh spread his wings and flew down to Cronus, rolling up his now bloodstained pant leg.

"Been a while since you scraped your knee this bad." He said softly, pulling a roll of bandages from his pocket and setting it down. He also pulled out a pocket-sized container of tissues; the nurses' office was locked during the weekend so there was no way he'd be able to get actual gauze, or peroxide for that matter. He just sighed for now and sponged the blood with the tissues, pressing a small wad of them over the wound.

"Hold that there." He said softly, and Cronus sat up painfully to hold the reddening material over his knee. "I know it's just a flesh wound, but walking with it is gonna be hell." With that, he plucked one feather from his wing and placed it under the tissue before wrapping his knee in bandages. "It'll itch for a little while, but it should help it heal faster."

"What do we tell shorty about his watch though?" Cronus asked selflessly. Rufioh shrugged.

"Tell him you went to a lot of trouble getting it back." He smiled.

"What? It fell in the water…"

"Dude, I've seen those watches before. You can take a ballpeen hammer to one without breaking it, and all the seals are waterproof; that's why they're so expensive."

"Then why were you so panicky when I dropped it?!"

"Think, Ampora; if those jocks had known the watch was fine, they'd still probably be after it. I did you a service, man." Cronus rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, pulling his wallet and cell phone from his pockets. He handed them off the Rufioh, and before he could be stopped, he slipped into the water.

The chlorine stung his open cut, but Cronus could ignore it. Cronus was at peace in the water; he felt he could actually breathe better when submerged than on dry land. Plus, he knew Rufioh couldn't swim worth anything; he'd have to be the one to get the watch either way. He felt the water pass through the gills and the base of his neck as he let himself float to the bottom of the pool. The watch had sunk like a small stone, and was sitting on one of the deeper ends of the pool; he swam over and scooped it up in one hand, swimming back up to the surface and letting Rufioh pull him out.

"You realize I have to wrap your leg again now, right?" the angel sighed, and the Ampora just chuckled, opening the watch again and smiling at that adorable picture as the Nitram went about re-patching his knee with dry bandages.

Cronus was leaning heavily on Rufioh's shoulder; he felt a bit dizzy, and his knee was killing him, even from the assisted hobbling he was doing.

"You sure you can make it there on your own?" The angel asked. "I can try to carry you."

"You're not dropping me again, Nitram." Cronus laughed. "I'll be fine. Go on back home." Rufioh eyed him uncertainly, but sighed and carefully released him.

"I'll be keeping watch." He assured the Ampora, stretching his wings and propelling himself into the air. Cronus smiled softly as he limped to the Vantas family's house.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"And here we are." Cronus concluded his story. Kankri stared into his eyes softly.

"You… You really think I'm cute?" he asked, a faint blush on his cheeks. The Ampora smirked and ruffled his hair, though he didn't give a verbal answer.

"I really appreciate all you did, Cronus." Kankri said brightly; he leaned on the Ampora's shoulder with a content smile. Said Ampora smiled as well, lightly petting his hair.

"Well, I wanted to prove it to you."

"What?"

"That I'll always be there for you, shorty. No one's gonna mess with you with me around." Kankri couldn't help the shy, but infinitely happy, smile that crossed his lips.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Upstairs, Karmene flipped through channels on the television in his room. His cell phone rang insatiably on the nightstand, and he picked it up.

"Hello~" he said sweetly; his eyes lit up at the voice her heard. "Dolores! Oh, it's been so long! I've missed you too, milady; how are your daughters? Kankri has mentioned your eldest, Porrim, is attending school with him. I thought you planned to homeschool them. Ah, only until High school age; I see. And Kanaya? It's been so long since we've seen her; Karkat misses her. Hm? Come over? Tomorrow? W-Well, Dolores, it's quite short-notice. Yes, the house is clean, but…Yes, I've done the week's laundry, but… No, we don't have plans…Alright, alright… You win. I'll wake the boys up at 8 if you plan to arrive at 10. Okay, goodbye then." He set his phone down on the nightstand and sighed. He loved that woman dearly; She was like a mother to him when they were young. God knows he was in need of one… Even though she was only about a year older than him, she'd treated him like he was always one of her children; or at least one of the kindergarteners she used to teach. It was as Kankri had said after he'd met her: "Mothering is only one letter less than Smothering, daddy." He snickered; Kankri had said that when he was only 5, and thinking about that moment still made him laugh.

He remembered that Kankri couldn't meet Porrim back then because she'd been home sick at the time, but Karkat had met Kanaya, and they almost instantly got along. It would be nice to see the Maryam family again, even though Dolores would probably go on about how his house could use a womanly touch while having him held tightly to her side as if they were joined at the hip. He chuckled to himself; he'd tell the boys after Karkat's friends went home.


	4. Maternal Figure Knows Best

**A/N: I couldn't help but feel like this chapter was too short to update on its own.**

* * *

"The Maryam girls are coming here?!" Kankri asked as they sat around the dinner table, and Karmene nodded. A faint smile crossed Karkat's face.

"That means Kanaya will be back, right?" He asked hopefully. Again, he nodded.

"But dad, Porrim is just so…"

"So much like her mother; yes, you've mentioned that." Karmene chuckled. "I believe I noticed at that parents' conference last year. She was so protective of you; I certainly hope you appreciate her."

"Of course I appreciate her, father; it's just, sometimes her smothering comes a bit close to suffocating."

"I understand completely." Karkat looked up from his plate and snickered.

"I can't believe you guys; Kanaya's nothing like that."

"Not yet at least." Kankri mumbled.

"Now, Kankri, perhaps she won't be. You remember her, right?"

"Yeah, I remember the little girl. She is a lot like her sister though: knitting at two years old, that's rather impressive the more I think about it."

"They are very impressive people. Very ladylike."

"They're also very bound to their house." Karkat brought up. "Can we go to the park tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a wonderful idea, Karkat." Karmene said brightly. "I'll be sure to ask Dolores about it when they arrive."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The next morning, all three Vantas boys were up by 8:30 and dressed by 9 o'clock, and now they waited for their guests to arrive. The sons really weren't morning people though; Karkat was leaning a bit tiredly on his brother's arm, and Kankri didn't seem all there. Karmene had told them they'd arrive around 10, which of course meant they'd be along right around now. And indeed, just as a quarter passed nine, the doorbell rang and the two Vantas boys stood as their father opened the door. The three ladies, all dressed in casual clothes of a calm shade of green, stood on the porch smiling.

"Kankri!" Porrim cried happily, and he steadied himself a bit and nudged Karkat away as she rushed over to embraced him. The older Vantas boy let his tail sway uneasily as he blushed from the attention.

"Maryam…" he chuckled, trying to edge out of her grip. "I just saw you on Friday; calm down."

"Is that your brother?" her attention turned to Karkat, who took a nervous step back.

"Yes, but-"

"He's absolutely adorable!" Porrim squealed, scooping up the small neko and hugging him tightly. Karkat blushed faintly and yowled, struggling.

"Maryam, please be gentle with him! Oh dear…" Karkat clearly wasn't a fan of such tight embraces; he flailed and whined, pulling out of her grip and scrambling away. A light chuckle of amusement would have come from his father, but it would have been hypocritical.

"Karmene, look at you;" Dolores said with a mix of amusement and distaste. "Your hair is terrible." It wasn't a complete exaggeration; Karmene's hair did still show signs of his restless sleeping.

"Wonderful to see you too, milady." He chuckled, rolling his eyes and combing his fingers through his hair. "I imagine you had no trouble getting here?"

"Yes, but you know we don't live too far away." She and her second daughter stepped into the house, and she lightly tugged Karmene to the side, running her own hands through his hair in an effort to fix it.

"Kanaya?" Karkat called to the youngest Maryam as she closed the door behind her. She looked over at him and smiled, approaching calmly.

"Karkat, it's been so long." She said with her clear and proper tone, her hands folded in front of her. "I can still remember our escapades in that playpen. Have you been well?"

"As well as a kid can be when he gets picked on every day." He shrugged, a smile gracing his face as he tried to resist hugging his friend like he'd never see her again. She gave a somewhat sad smile.

"I wish I could be there for you." She said, reaching out and grazing a small bruise on his forehead. "You could use someone to look out for you."

"My friends look out for me." Karkat said quickly. "But… I still miss you, Naya." Kanaya smiled at the use of the old name; the one Karkat had called her back when he could barely speak. She pulled him in for a quick hug before changing the subject by pulling a meticulously knit grey wool scarf from her bag.

"I made this for you a couple years ago." She explained happily, lightly draping it around his shoulders. "I made it kinda long; sorry." Karkat smiled brightly and chuckled.

"I like it; it's a nice color for me." Kanaya nodded in agreement, clearly proud of herself. Karkat rubbed his arm, biting his tongue.

"I-If you don't mind my asking…" he murmured. "How come you guys don't come over more often?"

"Mother has been very busy at the hospital; She got promoted recently though. But don't worry Karkat; she says you and your friends go around town alone sometimes so maybe I'm old enough to go out by myself too."

"So, I'll see you more often?" Karkat's catlike eyes lit up like a kitten's, and Kanaya chuckled.

"Of course. As long as I keep up with my studies."

"Children?" Karmene called to the room, lightly batting Dolores's hands out of his hair. "I believe it was suggested we go to the park today? Dolores is all for it." Karkat smiled brightly and ran up the stairs, leaving his new scarf up there before returning with a soccer ball. He and Kanaya laughed happily as they ran out the front door and started up the block. The other four chuckled lightly and followed at a calmer pace.


	5. Two Ends of the Spectrum

The park was picturesque this time of year: the leaves were changing, and the grass was a dingy, browning green. The Vantas and Maryam families walked through the gate, and Karkat and Kanaya ran off with the soccer ball, leaving the others to smile at the rarely seen mirthful aura around the young neko boy.

Karmene nibbled his lower lip. Mirthful… Why did that damned word suddenly come to mind?

Honk~! The sound, though distant and soft, made him twitch. He looked around quickly, one fist clenched at his side. And then he saw him: over by a tree arguing with Diana again, most likely another religious debate. He could see their kids roaming about: the two youngest were climbing on some rocks, and the two teenagers were sitting under a tree together, the girl in light green smoking a cigarette as she leaned on the tall boy's chest.

"Still haven't gotten through to her, I see." He mumbled. He rolled his eyes and approached Diana and the bane of his life. Dolores followed in concern; there was no way this would end well.

"What is this fool saying now?" he asked his platonic girlfriend, and she turned to him with a huff.

"I don't even care anymore." She snarled, throwing her hands up in frustration. "All he's trying to do is rile me up." The somewhat towering man, with greasy black hair that flowed down his shoulders and, just like him, refused to be tamed, gave a smirk and a condescending, dominating chuckle that made Karmene's blood boil. He knew no one could budge him, and anyone who tried had a bit of trouble with basic muscle controls afterward; anyone, that is, except for Karmene.

"Mutant runt." Karmene still hated the way his voice sounded.

"Sasquatch clown." The other man laughed, staring down at him. Those entrancing eyes of their purple tint and his mouth, with those sharp, menacing teeth, were somewhat highlighted by his ridiculous makeup. No one had seen him without that makeup in close to 30 years now; or without those spotted jeans for that matter.

"I see you haven't changed much at all, Karamel." He sneered.

"Don't call me Karamel." The neko snapped, interrupting him.

"Still short as hell even." A hand quickly reached out to him, tugging his ear. "And you still got these freak ears too." Karmene snarled, trying his best not react. He knew that it was all that damn clown wanted. Suddenly, he was grabbed by his shirt collar and pinned roughly against the tree, the tall man glaring into his mercury colored eyes.

"Wanna go, Karamel-Kitty?" he snarled, a shark's smile on his face. Karmene snapped.

"Bring it, Gavin." He hissed, taking a swing at him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Hello, you two." Porrim called as she and Kankri approached the couple under the tree. The girl in green smiled brightly at them, the black whiskers drawn on her cheeks stretching a bit as she did; she pulled the currently unlit cigarette from her mouth.

"Pawrrim and Kankritter!" she greeted happily. "How's public school? We haven't seen you in a long time—Kankri…" Her eyes rested on the hints of purple that were still under his eye with a saddened glance. He quickly flashed a nervous smile and laughed.

"Meulin, I'm fine; don't worry." He gave her a glance of his own, acknowledging the cigarette in her hand. "I'm more worried about you, Ms. Leijon. You're still smoking?"

"Not right meow." She murmured. "Mother hid my lighters. And Purrloz won't give me his."

"You quit, Makara?" Kankri asked with a slight smile.

The tall, skinny boy shrugged vaguely, putting one hand to his throat and silently feigning a cough. Kankri nodded, for once understanding his peer's miming.

"Kurloz, I told you those things would make you sick." He smirked.

Kurloz opened his mouth in bright, silent laughter before happily flipping him off. Porrim rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"How has school been for you two?" she asked.

"Lots of Bible study…" Meulin huffed. "It gets so boring sometimes."

Kurloz waved his hand in a "so-so" motion; he nodded toward Meulin though, indicating he felt similarly.

"I still can't imagine having your father as a teacher, Makara." Kankri chuckled, and the mime rolled his eyes.

"I don't think I would mind going to Catholic school for a while. You could go to our school in my place, Meulin." The girls shared a laugh while the boys exchanged the glances of two who never got along too famously.

"Stop it, you guys!" Meulin's mom was shouting in the distance, and all four teens turned to see what the commotion was…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Karkat and Kanaya were kicking the soccer ball around near the rocks, circling around each other for supremacy and laughing. All of a sudden, there was a happy squeal from above them.

"Karkitty!" someone shouted, and a girl pounced down from the rocks, tackling Karkat and pinning his shoulders to the grass. "I've missed you so much! If I'd known you'd be here, I'd have worn my cap and tail!"

"N-Nepeta?" Karkat winced, staring up at the overexcited girl's bright sea-foam green eyes. "You know you don't have to pounce me every time you see me, right?" The youngest Leijon giggled and got off of him, sitting in the grass next to him as Gamzee walked over, having retrieved the wayward soccer ball. He let himself flop down, a soft honk coming out as his bottom hit the ground.

"Whoops." He chuckled, pulling a bicycle horn from his back pocket. "I was wondering what I did with that." The others laughed, and Kanaya sat down as well.

"Are you and Meulin still in Catholic School?" she asked, taking the ball from Gamzee and tossing it to her.

"Yeah." Nepeta smiled, throwing it back. "Meulin's starting to get sick of it though."

"Maybe the high school classes are more boring." Kanaya suggested, chuckling as she threw it back.

"Well, her homework is definitely more difficult than mine." She looked over at Gamzee and tossed the ball to him; the Makara took it as a cue to say something.

"My dad still teaches me and Kurloz." He said simply, passing Karkat the ball.

"And how's that working for you?" he snickered, giving it back. Gamzee's eyes shifted, and he shrugged.

"Eh… I admit he ain't a great teacher." He muttered, his tone a bit sadder than he probably realized. The others moved over and embraced their clownish friend, and he smiled softly, mumbling a soft honk.

A sudden yowl of pain and an almost psychotic laugh made them all flinch.

"Goddammit, not again!" Karkat shouted, scrambling to his feet and running back to where he'd left his father with Gamzee and the girls following.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

As he'd done so many times before, Karmene stayed swift and light on his feet, dodging his opponent's usually heavy-handed punches and then rushing in with a swipe of his sharp nails when the opportunity came. But this opponent-Gavin Harvey Makara—It was like he couldn't feel pain or something. And he was fast; he'd been fighting Karmene since the neko had graduated college, so that was almost to be expected. Unlike anyone else, who would have been covered in scratches and fleeing, Gavin would only get scratched once or twice in a ten minute fight, and even then, he would laugh… Like the damned psychotic clown he was.

Karmene circled around him again, looking for an opening, only to end up backhanded across his face. He reeled for less than a second before hooking the claw-like nails of one hand into his sleeve, lashing out with his free hand and clawing his upper arm. He sneered at the grimace that flashed across Gavin's face before bracing himself against several sharp punches to his shoulder. The Makara grabbed him by his jacket and threw him harshly against the tree.

All the while, Diana and Dolores were screaming at them to stop. Neither man noticed his kids run back to them, joining the women's chorus and attempting to keep them apart. Gamzee and Kurloz grabbed onto Gavin's wrists, pulling his arms behind his back; and Karkat and Kankri latched onto Karmene's back, trying to pin his arms down.

"What's the matter, runt?!" the Makara shouted tauntingly, smirking. "You giving up?!" Karmene snarled, shrugging off his jacket and his two sons with it to rush him again. Gavin laughed, easily overpowering his own sons to attempt to wring the cat-man's neck.

"Enough." A calm, lisped voice spoke up; both men were caught in the air by an unseen force, Gavin trapped by a blue aura and Karmene trapped in red. "I'm getting sick of separating you dumb bastards." In a burst of psionic power, they were flung apart, skidding roughly on the ground. Karmene ended up at the feet of their meddler: a young man just a year older than him and in blue jeans and a yellow turtleneck. The man pushed up his glasses with a smirk.

"Simon…" the neko huffed, sitting up. "I didn't need your help…" The slightly taller man slipped his hands under Karmene's arms and hefted him to his feet.

"Then let's say I wasn't helping you." He said smartly. "I was stopping two dumbasses causing a scene." Karmene rolled his eyes and pulled his arm away; he glared at Gavin before having second thoughts.

"Thanks…" he mumbled. "Come on, boys; let's go home…" Kankri and Karkat looked around at everyone awkwardly, and Kanaya gave Karkat a soft hug before watching him leave. Simon looked at the, almost playfully, cruel sneer on the towering clown's face and shook his head; there was no way he'd ever understand them.

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**Introducing the Grand Highblood! Yes, he does have two first names. (Or Harvey is his middle name; I actually can't decide. ^^; ) I will not mince words with you guys: I ship him and Signless black as the night sky...Which is actually a shade of very dark blue, so I guess the ship's not that hate-filled. **

**We also have the Psionic at the end, but as with all things, meaning the Nitram family, he is important later.**


	6. Broken

Come on, Vantas, it's just a ball of yarn. You haven't been this entranced by one since you were four. Maybe if you weren't so book-smart, you wouldn't finish your homework so fast, and then you wouldn't get so bor—the way it rolls past you is almost taunting…

"Cronus, stop it." Kankri insisted as the Ampora lightly pulled the yarn ball back toward himself and prepared to throw it again. "I thought I was helping you with your history homework." Cronus chuckled and set the yarn ball to the side.

"Alright, alright." He smiled, sitting up on his bed. With his father out again, it left him free to invite Kankri over without fear of judgment…or whatever strange things his father might say that would probably have gone misunderstood. However, somewhat unfortunate in Cronus's eyes, Porrim was feeling extra protective of the neko boy, and she hadn't let him walk to the Ampora's house, or stay there for that matter, without her. Luckily, she was keeping to herself at Cronus's desk, working on some knitting project while they did their own homework.

"Why do you insist on lying on the floor?" Cronus asked, lying on his stomach and reaching down to poke Kankri's side. "I said you could sit up here with me." Kankri just shrugged and bat his hand away.

"I just… don't really want to." He mumbled, looking away. Cronus frowned slightly, opening his textbook and flipping to the chapter his class was studying. He passed the book to Kankri, who skimmed it absently.

"What exactly do you need help with?" the Vantas boy asked, swishing his tail uninterestedly. As much as he loved history, he'd read about most of this stuff long before high school, and rereading nonfiction is much less interesting the fourth of fifth time.

"Oh, y'know…" Cronus shrugged. "It's mostly vocabulary and dates and crap like that."

"Wanna be more specific?" Kankri gave a little smirk. The Ampora drummed his fingers on his notebook; keeping this façade was harder than he thought.

"Well…" he mumbled, trying to think of another lie. He didn't notice Kankri slip his notebook from under his arm to examine.

"You finished this assignment already!" he cried out a moment later, sounding a bit betrayed. "And the only thing I see wrong is your spelling. You lied to me…" Kankri's eyes looked a bit disappointed and adorably pouty.

"Oh, wow;" Porrim suddenly piped up with a giggle. "I heard about this trick."

"Trick?" Kankri asked, his ear twitching curiously.

"Yeah, I think I saw it on a movie, actually. The guy tricks some girl into coming to his house by saying he wants her to tutor him, and she comes over, but all they do is talk and mess around for hours. It was a cute scene, I think." Kankri huffed and rolled his eyes, looking away as he heard Cronus chuckle.

"You're blushing, Vantas." He teased, and Kankri just continued to pout. He got to his feet and left the room; Porrim and Cronus heard his footsteps descend the stairs and settle somewhere down there.

"Just like a cat." Porrim smiled. "Now why did you try to trick, Kankri, Ampora?" Cronus sighed and flopped back against his pillows.

"I don't know." He admitted. "I guess I thought that if I told him I just wanted to hang out, he'd get scared or something. You of all people especially know how sensitive he can be."

"Cronus…" Porrim sighed, rolling her eyes. "He's not afraid of you; as far as I can tell, I mean. Plus, you got back his favorite watch from those assholes who mugged him. He's pretty grateful for that. But you are right: he can be pretty sensitive; there could be a chance he would have felt uncomfortable. Even so, you should have been honest with him like me."

"Like you?"

"Yes, like me; I asked Kankri to help me with a little something last year. And to this day, he still helps." Cronus turned onto his side, leaning on his pillows and looking at her.

"Well, now you got me curious, Maryam." He smiled brightly. "Spill it." She chuckled and got up, sitting on the bed with him.

"Alright," she spoke in a lower voice, and he moved closer. "But you didn't hear any of this from me, okay?" Cronus quickly nodded.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It had been freshman year for a certain Kankri Vantas, and after receiving a few aggressive punches to his shoulder; at least 5 yanks on his tail; and the knowledge that people were whispering hurtful things about him when they thought he couldn't hear; he felt numb and unwanted. And it had only been a couple weeks…

Porrim Maryam, starting her first year of public school and eager to grow into a social butterfly, made friends easily and almost immediately joined the sewing club that a group of girls and a couple teachers had made. The teachers had suggested that they all find someone to model clothes for them, and unlike the others, who all quickly chose the first girl they could think of, Porrim was happy to find a total stranger who could be willing to help.

She walked into her study hall one Tuesday; the sixth week of school had rolled in without much of a hitch for her, but she hadn't been able to find a model the day before, and the club met every other evening. She'd be the only one without a subject if she couldn't find one today. A sudden, angry hiss made her flinch, and she turned to see two large boys holding a smaller boy upside down over the large recycling can in the corner of the room. One of them was holding onto his ankles while standing up on a chair, and the other held his wrists to stop him from swinging at them. Her motherly instincts kicked in on a violent level.

"Hey!" she shouted across the room, walking toward them. "You punks put him down."

"And who are you to make us?" the boy up on the chair sneered. Porrim glared harshly, speaking through clenched teeth.

"Put. Him. Down." She snarled. "Right. Now." The bullies did falter for a moment, but then smirked and did the second most predictable thing they could have done: letting the small boy fall into the can and running off, laughing like fools. Porrim sighed; where was a damn teacher when you actually needed one? She leaned over the recycling can and grabbed the small boy's jacket collar, wrapping her other arm around his waist and lifting him up. She flinched as a bushy greyish-black tail suddenly hit her in the face.

"H-Hey!" she cried, adjusting her hold on him and pushing the fluffy appendage away.

"Sorry…" she heard him mumble, and suddenly, he hissed and yowled. Porrim quickly pulled him up and set him on his feet. She winced when she saw the cut on his cheek. Looking over his shoulder, she could see into the can, and she immediately noticed the broken juice bottle that now dripped with his blood.

"I'm so sorry…" she said sadly. "I should have done more to stop them." She pulled off her backpack and dug through it, pulling out a small first aid kit. She sat the boy down on a desk, and most of the students in the room watched as she cleaned the wound and covered it with three bandages. All the while she was mumbling apologetically.

"I really could have stopped them; what was I thinking? That glass came close to putting your eye out; I'm so sorry."

"Y-You…" the boy was murmuring, and she looked up to see him staring at her, his catlike ears drooped slightly. "You don't think I'm a freak?"

"Why would I think you're a freak?"

"'Cause he is one?" someone snickered, and some of the students chuckled. Porrim rolled her eyes and softly ran her fingers through the boy's hair.

"You're not a freak." She whispered. "Some of these kids here: they're freaks. You just look a little different."

"A little?" he asked in disbelief.

"A little." Porrim smiled reassuringly; she lightly shook his hand. "Call me Porrim."

"…My name's Kankri…"

"Well, Kankri; it doesn't take genius to see you've been having it pretty rough. Tell you what: you come down to-" she whispered a classroom number to him so no one else would hear. "You go there after school, and you can hang with me and my friends for a while, okay?" Kankri brushed his tail nervously with his hand, his eyes nervous. Porrim sighed knowingly and smiled.

"We won't hurt you; I promise." She said simply. Kankri looked away again, but nodded, and she smiled brightly.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Wait a second; you didn't tell Kankri you were taking him to a sewing club." Cronus interrupted. "You're worse than I am!" Porrim lightly hit him over the head.

"Don't interrupt!" she scolded. "I'm almost done."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

When Kankri walked into the sewing club room, he cowered nervously as all the girls stared at him. Porrim immediately got up and pulled him over to her work station, sitting him in a chair facing away from them.

"These are your friends?" he asked, and she nodded proudly.

"This is our sewing club, and I want to make something for you."

"Oh, um… I-I don't know if-"

"Relax, I'm not gonna put you in a dress or anything." She picked up a measuring tape and started measuring Kankri's arms and the circumferences of them.

"So…" he murmured as he lifted his arm, allowing her to measure from just under his arm down to his hip. "What do you plan on making then?"

"I'm gonna make you a sweater; something to keep you warm and safe." She loosely measured around his shirt collar, smiling a bit as he giggled from her accidentally brushing her nails over his neck. "A little sensitive, Kankri?" When he blushed faintly and cowered, she chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll be careful…" With that, she slipped the tape around his waist to measure it before writing all the numbers down and grabbing her knitting needles.

After getting their measurements, the other girls said their models could leave. Kankri, however, stayed with Porrim on the couch in the corner of the room, silently watching her knit. The others were surprised she'd brought him in; they all assumed that boys would try to sneak in to catch the models changing. Some of the older girls claimed that had happened the year before. But Kankri just sat there quietly, occasionally curling up and resting his head on the couch arm, his tail wrapped neatly under his legs. It soon became routine to see him at the meetings, and they began to notice how harmless and polite he was. He seemed to grow a bit safer among them as well, getting up from the couch sometimes to roam around the room; even though they were all shocked when he started talking to them openly. There were things the girls had discovered that he would never reveal to anyone else in the school.

Kankri was surprised by his feelings as well; he'd never really felt safe around anyone but his family. And even then, he found heartbreak: his mother had shown no type of remorse when she left him and Karmene. But Porrim was so different; she was motherly and caring. She didn't mind walking with him, schedule permitting, and defending him when others tried to harm him. It was new to him, and he tried his best not to let on how much it really meant to him. Instead, he returned the favor whenever people tried to give Porrim trouble for protecting him. In reality, it probably wasn't doing much, but it always made Porrim happy and very proud of him…

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"You liar." Cronus chuckled as Porrim finished her story. "You lied to him too."

"I didn't lie;" she argued with a smile. "I admit I left out some probably important details, but I wasn't necessarily lying."

"Call it what you like." Cronus smirked, rolling his eyes and getting off his bed. "I'm gonna go see if he'll spare me a glance." He left the room and quietly went down the stairs. Looking over the living room from the stairway, he couldn't see anyone on the couch or either of the two chairs. He saw Kankri's shoes by the door, so he was probably still in the house. He went into the kitchen and came out the other side; the Vantas boy hadn't been in there either. He began to walk curiously through the living room when his ankle was latched onto. He let out a shriek, though he would never call it that, and jumped onto the couch. He could hear a soft, nearly silent snickering.

"Kankri?" he called, looking into the silver eyes that sparkled a bit under the coffee table. "What the hell?!"

"You were right." Kankri said simply, a very slight smirk on his face. "That is pretty funny." Cronus blinked, then put a hand to his forehead as he remembered that one time he snuck up on Kankri.

"Gee, Kankri, I didn't think you had a sense of humor like that." He teased, and the Vantas rolled his eyes before slinking out from under the low table and stretching. With a smirk, Cronus reached out and dragged one finger along his spine. He yelped and jumped, losing his footing and falling onto the couch beside the Ampora.

"That wasn't funny." He pouted to the smirk he was getting.

"It was pretty cute though." Cronus chuckled, ruffling his hair. Kankri kept his arms folded but, quite well hidden, cracked a smile.

"Oh my god…" Cronus suddenly said, as if in disbelief. "Now, am I crazy; or is Kankri Vantas actually smiling?"

"You're crazy." Kankri chuckled, and he flinched with a slight laugh as the Ampora softly jabbed his side.

"No, you're crazy." He teased. "You should smile more often; it looks nice on you." The neko boy shrugged.

"Excuse me then, if I have trouble finding things to smile about nowadays." Cronus frowned and rested his arm around Kankri's shoulder, pulling him close.

"Sorry, shorty." He sighed. "I'm gonna help you out though, got it? Us against the world."

"Us, and Porrim, who will probably follow me either way." Kankri added, smiling brightly.

"Yeah," Cronus chuckled. "It's getting dark. Want me to walk you home?"

"You don't need any 'help' with the directions, do you?" The Vantas asked with a smirk.

"Shut up." The Ampora laughed, giving him a playful shove.

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A tired Karmene trudged home from his standard desk job. He may have been a freak, but at least he was good with numbers…The guy who originally said that to him still had a cute little scar across his cheek. Other than that one asshole, his coworkers respected him, his intelligence, and his abilities; or maybe they were just afraid he'd scratch them up too.

Either way, Karmene approached his door as the sun was setting a purple-orange blend over the sky. As he went to put his key into the lock, the door opened at his touch, and his ear twitched at an unfamiliar voice from inside. Dread and terror fell on him like a hundred-ton weight as he stepped inside, softly shutting and locking the door behind him. He breathed a bit heavily, trying to keep himself under control; whatever they were looking for, they wouldn't find it. This had happened before, and it turned all three nekos into squirrels; they kept all they're valuables locked away or just plain hidden; Karkat and Kankri kept all their money in a lockbox welded to Kankri's desk, and he himself kept almost no cash in the house at any time; then there was the basement: It was practically Kankri's getaway, and he kept it locked when he wasn't home. Karmene had the second key, but always relocked it if he ever went down there when his son wasn't around. There wasn't a car outside, so these punks probably weren't planning to steal any furniture or TVs, but there could always be something…

His silent, hunting steps took him up the stairs, where he heard people—no, kids. Probably teens—complaining about not being able to find anything worthwhile. He softly pushed open the door to his bedroom, the hinges kindly staying silent. There were three of them, two rummaging through his drawers and the other being a terrible lookout by having his back to the door. Karmene growled lowly, stepping quickly toward him and grabbing his shoulder, spinning him around and, without any second thoughts, gave him a swift scratch on his face. The boy, who couldn't be much older than Kankri by more than a few months, freaked out as blood streamed down from two cuts on his face. Another jolt of fear hit the man as he saw the gun fall to the carpeted floor. Did the others have guns? He didn't care at the moment. The lookout was still panicking on the floor, so he picked up the gun and stalked toward the other two.

"Get the hell out of my house, you rats!" he hissed, his feline pupils narrowing frighteningly. The two idiots screamed and ran past him, dragging their cohort to his feet and fleeing. He followed them at a calm pace as they scrambled and tripped down the stairs; one of them dropped his backpack as they all ran out the door. He descended and picked it up, slamming the door behind the bumbling crooks. Going through it, he found both of Karkat's game systems and most of his games—well, the cases anyway, like most things, Karkat kept the actual disks squirreled away. Karkat…

"Karkat?!" he shouted in a panic. "Karkat, where are you?!" The house responded with silence. God, no… He relocked the front door and ran upstairs, calling his son's name again.

"Dad…?" a weak, exhausted voice reached his ears, and he threw open the bathroom door. The youngest Vantas was lying in the bathtub, barely conscious and with a streak of blood down his face staring from somewhere around his hairline. Karmene softly lifted his son from the tub, hugging him tightly as tears of relief rolled down his face.

"Oh, thank god you're alright…" he cried softly, holding the dazed child protectively to his chest. "I'm so sorry…" He didn't hear the door open and shut downstairs, or the footsteps up the staircase.

"Dad?" a concerned voice was asking. "What happened?" Karmene's tear-filled eyes fell on his oldest son, and he proceeded to explain all he knew while he cleaned and dressed the wound on Karkat's head.

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Kankri hadn't spoken all day; he'd always been nervous walking the halls of his high school, but now, knowing at least one of the boys here had broken into his house the night before and had beaten his little brother senseless, he had never felt more scared. His father had mentioned that none of them had been wearing masks; there had been two blondes and a third with raven hair. Plus, he had scratched one, and there was no way the fugitive would be able to hide a mark like that. Considering that Kankri very rarely paid close attention to the people around him since he was always staring at his feet, he didn't know many faces and a lot of the boys seemed the same to him.

"Hey, shorty…" Cronus said soothingly as he approached the scared, silent neko at lunch time. "You haven't said a word all day." Kankri just shook his head and let Cronus put an arm around his shoulders. Students were snickering at the sight of him as he walked by; they hadn't done that since last year. It couldn't be good. As they walked into the cafeteria, a small crowd was gathered around a table, most of the students giggling like fools at something. As they approached, Latula and Aranea broke from the crowd, almost immediately stepping into their path. Aranea seemed uneasy as she spoke.

"Kankri!" she said in a greeting tone with heavy amounts of forced joy. "I have some more notes prepared for our next debate. Do you think you could go over them with me?"

"What's going on here?" Cronus asked in Kankri's stead.

"Nothing;" Latula said a bit too quickly. "Just teens being foolish again."

"Don't be cagey, Pyrope, spill it." The Ampora glanced down at Kankri when he shrugged Cronus's arm off his shoulder and knelt beside the table, reaching under it to pick up something one of the students dropped. His face paled, and his chest tightened until he could hardly breathe. That picture… He'd told Karmene to burn those damn pictures. They were all laughing, slinging taunting words, and giving him mocking sneers; and at the center of it all, with a thick patch of gauze stuck to his face with medical tape, was that football player… The same one who had masterminded tying him up in the park, and probably the same one Cronus had fought. He was holding one of the many photo albums Kankri's father always kept, and the teenage Vantas knew that bright yellow cover to be the one that held copies of all the photos of him up until he was around ten years old. Those days were mostly a time of discoveries and injuries caused by his accident-prone clumsiness. And of course, his dad was always around with a camera to record that time he got tangled in the net ladder on the playground when he was six, or the time he got trapped in the space between the couch and wall when he was four.

"Bastard…" he murmured, turning on his heel and walking away.

"Kankri…" Cronus called softly after him as he walked by. The Vantas boy pushed open the cafeteria door and took off running, tears starting to roll down his face. Cronus chased after him in concern, following him into the bathroom.

"Kankri?" the Ampora called. "I'm sorry, shorty, but come on… You're okay; they were just old pictures…"

"You don't know what it's like!" Kankri shouted, throwing open the door to the stall he was hiding in. "You don't know what it's like, Cronus! I have been a laughingstock for my entire life. And growing up, my dad and my counselor always told me it would stop; that everyone would 'run out of material' or something. But they won't, Cronus! Every time I think they're getting tired." He was speaking through free-flowing tears and sobs. "Every-Single-Time that I think they're going to stop, they find something else. They've been doing it since kindergarten, and I… I can't take it anymore!" he buried his face in Cronus's chest, crying into his shirt. He suddenly pushed away the Ampora and ran away bawling.

Cronus looked down to see stains of blood on his shirt; going into the stall, he saw fingerprints in blood and simply scrawled on the back wall: "Broken". Snarling, he stomped out of the bathroom and back to the cafeteria. He pushed roughly through the crowd and stood up on a chair, snatching the yellow photo album from Arthur.

"What the hell is your problem, asshole?!" he snapped. "What do you have against Kankri, huh?! He's just a poor kid."

"He's a freak." Arthur said like it was a perfect explanation. "And anyone that messed up doesn't belong anywhere. That's just how it is, Ampora."

"You're just jealous…" Cronus snarled. "Jealous because you're nothing. You're just another big, dumb football jock who tries to put everyone down. Kankri is unique, and that just pisses you right off, doesn't it? You're pathetic!" Arthur just smirked and chuckled like he was invincible, but the crowd was silent as Cronus stepped down off the chair and walked out, Latula and Aranea silently following.

* * *

**A/N: For some reason, I do not like this chapter either... I feel like I did something wrong...**


	7. Artificial Sweetener

**A/N: Finally, lucky chapter 7. And if there's any luck in it at all, you guys won't want to kill me after you read it.**

* * *

Kankri walked through the city in clichéd, depressing rain. He sobbed softly, the rain mixing with the tears on his face. He carried his tail in his hands, the fur matting from all the water. Bringing his left hand to his lips, he lightly licked the wound he'd put in his index finger: a half-inch long, bloody cut he had made with his sharp thumbnail. He turned into a dark alley slightly covered by an awning and climbed up onto a box, shaking off as much moisture as he could before lying down, folding his arms under his chin as he stared out into the street, crying softly.

"Wow… What the hell are you?" someone behind him was asking, and Kankri could hear the uncaring expression on the stranger's face; he barely felt the yank on his tail. "Man, damn thing's real. I've seen plenty of freaks in my line of work, but nothing like this. Someone ought to slap a gold star on your ass for such an achievement in hideousness."

"Touch me again and I bite your hand off." The Vantas said bitterly. "I bet you think you're the first one to call me a freak…that you're just **so** clever…" He sniffled, rubbing his eyes. "Well, you're not. Simple as that."

"Geez, what are you crying about, you wimp? You sound so pathetic."

"Why should I explain myself to you? I don't know you. Plus, you don't care."

"You're right; I don't. But what if I said I could help you feel better?"

"I'm not buying drugs from you, street rat." Kankri hissed.

"I didn't offer you any, freak. However," Kankri's ear twitched to a clicking sound. "Let me remind you that I don't care about your opinion." Without looking back, the Vantas moved to run, but was stopped by a loud crack and a sudden, sharp pain in his shoulder. He yowled and hissed, immediately reaching back and yanking out the oddly-shaped syringe that had been shot into his back. The plunger was spring-loaded, and had injected whatever was originally in the syringe as soon as it hit his shoulder like some kind of tranquilizer. He suddenly felt dizzy and staggered to his feet.

"W-What did you do to me?" he asked, snarling. The cloaked man pulled back his hood and sneered, his red eyes seeming to glow in the frame of his short brown hair.

"I'm making you feel better." He chuckled, snapping his fingers; in a burst of smoke, he vanished, and the syringe disappeared from Kankri's hand. The neko boy stood there speechless, but then… he realized he felt fine. Actually, his shoulder still stung kind of badly; he should probably get a bandage over that. He started walking home; there was no point in going back to school now: the final bell would ring in about fifteen minutes. Instead, he looked into the window of a novelty store curiously. He checked his wallet and the time on his watch…

He got home around 5 o'clock, opening the door with the spare key he kept in his jacket pocket. Immediately, his dad approached him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Kankri, I'm sorry." He kept saying, hugging him tightly. "Your principal called me. I-I didn't think keeping those pictures would-"

"Dad…" he interjected, squirming away and licking the lollipop he'd bought while he was out. "I'm not upset about it anymore." His father stared at him in shock.

"R-Really?"

"Yes, really. They were just old pictures." Kankri reached into the shopping bag and pulled out two more lollipops. "Can you give one of those to Karkitten for me, Dad?" Karmene just nodded as Kankri started walking up the stairs.

"Uh…" he murmured, seeming unsure of what to say. "Your friend Cronus stopped by earlier. He brought your backpack and the homework from the class you missed."

"I assume you put everything in my room then?" Kankri smiled. "I'll finish it real quick and come down for dinner, 'kay?" Again, his father only nodded, looking at him strangely.

A long while after dinner, Kankri went through his shopping bag in the bathroom, pulling out a couple of jars and an instruction book. A light rap on the door made him look up.

"You alright in there, kid?" his father called lightly, his voice a bit low since Karkat was already asleep.

"Of course, father; I'm just fine." He responded cheerfully; as his father left, he hummed softly to himself. "Just peachy, really…"

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"Dad!" Karkat shouted as he ran down the stairs; He slid to a stop in the kitchen, his socks on the polished hardwood nearly taking him into the wall. Karmene motioned for him to wait as he set down the newspaper he was skimming and took a long sip of his coffee.

"Okay, go." He sighed. Karkat grabbed onto his arm desperately.

"Dad, there's something seriously wrong with Kankri!" he exclaimed.

"Wrong like what?" Karmene looked up as his youngest son pointed.

"Good morning, guys!" Kankri said brightly, which was weird enough by itself; Kankri almost never said anything 'brightly'. The way he looked didn't help at all: His hair was dyed a bright pink, and the fur on his ears and tail was dyed neon blue; He wore a strawberry-pink shirt with white accents dotted with color around the collar, cuffs of the sleeves, and the hem that fell to just below his waist, vaguely resembling a strawberry cupcake with sprinkles; His pants were similar, though they were an off-white brownish like vanilla; Everything was tied together with the cupcake-shaped clip in his hair and the pink-and-blue striped collar around his neck.

"Oh…" Karmene nodded. "Wrong like that."

"You shouldn't stare, guys; it's not nice." The teenager giggled as he poured himself a cup of coffee, stirring a couple of spoonfuls into it. His father cleared his throat.

"Good morning, Kankri." He said. "Are you feeling alright this morning?" Kankri gave a long sigh as he lowered the coffee cup from his lips.

"Oh, dad, I feel amazing!" he said happily; the two other males hadn't seen him so happy since he was in grade school. "You don't mind if I walk to school, do you?! It's lovely outside." The teen's family twitched as thunder boomed outside the window.

"Are you insane?!" Karkat shouted, "It's going to be pouring by the time you get there; you'll be soaked!"

"Oh, nonsense, Karkitty." Kankri chuckled. "I'm taking my umbrella. Y'know, there's plenty of space under it. Want me to walk you to school?"

"No. Hell no, actually."

"Oh, come on-"

"No way! Dude, you look like the devil-spawn of a cotton candy machine and a plate of cupcakes! That isn't norm—Mph!" Karmene had one hand over the loud child's mouth.

"What he means is:" he sighed. "You wouldn't have the time to take him to school and get yourself to school on time. I'll take care of him; you go on along." Kankri gave a slight giggle as he turned on his heel and walked away, grabbing his backpack and umbrella before disappearing out the door. Karkat struggled away from his father.

"You're letting him go out like that?!" he shouted in disbelief.

"It's just a phase." Karmene said surely. "Kankri was feeling really upset yesterday; and when people get really depressed, sometimes they think changing their look might help a little."

"And that works?"

"Depends on the person…" the adult gave a heavy sigh. "It certainly didn't work for me when I was his age. Don't worry though. We know Kankri: this can't be more than just a really extreme experiment. If he's still acting weird tomorrow, I'll talk to him, okay?" Karkat looked very uncertain, but sighed in defeat and nodded.

"For his sake, I hope you're right…"

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"King me." Cronus chuckled as he jumped another one of Mituna's checkers.

"Aw, what?!" the Captor whined, slouching back in his chair. "That's the fourth time!" His current getup consisted of cheesy cowboy garb and a wide-brimmed hat.

"You're not one for checkers, partner." He smirked, sipping the hot chocolate he'd bought from the school kitchen; the lunch ladies always sold it before school with breakfast during the colder months. He sat in the cafeteria with Rufioh, Aranea, Porrim, Latula, and of course, Cowboy Captor over there. Aranea looked up from the book she was reading.

"You did tell Kankri we'd be meeting here before school, right?" she asked.

"Of course I did, sis." Cronus said calmly, watching Mituna stress himself out over his next move.

"I've never known him to be late…"

"School doesn't start for almost half an hour; he has plenty of time." Cronus took another sip of the hot chocolate when Rufioh looked up from his handheld game.

"I wouldn't be drinking that if I were you…"

"You're the one who said it was so great."

"No, I mean: look who just showed up." The table's attention turned to the open cafeteria door, Cronus froze mid-sip and nearly choked, and all of the teens stared in shock at what they saw.

"Good morning, sweethearts." A very flashily-dressed Vantas purred as he sat beside Cronus and set his umbrella on the table. The others were too stunned to say anything, and the entire cafeteria's volume halved as other students began to notice him as well.

"W-What happened to you?!" Porrim asked, looking like she'd go into a dead faint. Kankri gave a smile that could light the whole school.

"Don't you like it, Porrim?" he asked sweetly. Porrim blinked uneasily, swallowing her inner fashion designer and sighing.

"It… It's cute," she forced, smiling falsely. "I just don't think it's…you. Plus, the collar's a bit much."

"Well, I like it." The neko said simply, and Porrim chuckled uncomfortably.

"You look like you got attacked by a rogue baker." Mituna snickered. "How much dye did it take to cover your tail?"

"At least a full jar. I wasn't really keeping track."

"**Why** exactly are you dressed like that?" Cronus asked, unable to hide his amusement. Kankri gave a giggle that could choke someone with how cute it was.

"I just felt like looking a bit wild today. You like it?"

"Well, yes actually, I do kind of like it. You look so colorful."

"I agree with Captor: You look like a cupcake;" Rufioh smirked. "And I happen to recall the Ampora having quite a sweet tooth." The table burst into laughter as Cronus blushed and reached over Kankri to smack the Nitram over the head. Kankri blushed a bit and giggled again, his tail swaying behind him.

"I'm glad to hear that though;" He smiled, reaching into his bag and pulling out a handful of small, colorful, swirly lollipops. "I bought you guys these." He smiled as they all took one and voiced their gratitude. Unwrapping one of his own, he licked it once before putting it in his mouth, giving a blissful smile.

"Since when do you like candy?" Porrim asked. Kankri laughed, the oddly musical tone of it filling the now near-silent cafeteria full of staring teens.

"I've been having such a sugar craving since yesterday. It's terrible, really." Another tooth-rotting-ly sweet giggle, this time accompanied by a flip of his pink hair. His ear perked to the sound of approaching steps.

"Something wicked this way comes." He said with a coy smile.

"Holy-" Arthur and his goons burst out laughing at the sight of the colorful neko. "I didn't think you could get any more freakish." Kankri just chuckled with that uncharacteristically giddy smile.

"And how are you today, sugar?" he asked softly, his teeth showing in a sly sneer as Arthur looked at him in confusion. The jock glanced at his posse and around the room at the gawking students.

"W-Who the hell do you think you're calling sugar?!" he snapped, trying to disguise a flustered stutter by backhanding the small teenager right off his chair. The silence grew louder as Kankri sat on the floor; Cronus quickly moved to kneel beside him, glaring at the jocks as they walked off. For the first time all day, the smile on the Vantas boy's face was gone, and he too was silent, staring at the tile floor; a single tear ran down his slightly bruised cheek.

"C'mon, Vantas…" Cronus said softly, rubbing his shoulder. "You're better than this; don't cry…" When the neko boy looked up, the Ampora flinched; his eyes looked as though they had a thick glaze over them—He suddenly found himself thinking about donuts… He shook the thought out of his head as he noticed Kankri getting up. He looked around wordlessly, approaching a nearby table; none of the students there said a word as he pulled a lunch tray away from one of them. He removed the carton of milk, the bowl of cereal, and the bowl of fruit that were on it. The tray was relatively clean, so Kankri walked off with it, and Cronus watched in confusion as he grabbed hold of a chair and walked up to Arthur, standing up on it.

"Hey, sugar." The short boy murmured gruffly to the jock's back; Arthur chuckled incredulously.

"I could have sworn I just told you not t-" The jock turned around and his snide banter was silenced when a ceramic tray was brought down on the side of his head, surprisingly, with enough force to shatter it into 4 large pieces. A loud, collective cry rang out as the jock staggered back, clutching his head and swearing loudly. He gave a violent cough as Kankri jumped on him, knocking him to the floor with his claws hooked into the jock's shirt collar.

"I'm getting real tired of your bullshit, Arthur…" he growled, a delightfully deranged smile tearing his face apart as he slammed Arthur's head into the floor again. "Real tired of it!" He was laughing now, an overjoyed, bright-as-neon, utterly terrifying sound as he punched and scratched the jock's face. Some girls were screaming in horror, and anyone who approached got a bleeding discouragement on their arm or face.

"Kankri, stop it!" Cronus shouted, but the boy was beyond hearing, and blood was all over his hand. Teachers and cafeteria aides were powerless to stop him. He glanced at the others; Rufioh and Mituna both had scratches on their hands, and even Porrim hadn't been able to get near him without being swung at. He swallowed the lump in his throat and approached the one-sided scuffle from out of Kankri's sight; lunging in as fast as he could, he grabbed the neko around his waist and yanked him off the taller boy. He backed away as the other jocks went to help Arthur, and Kankri just kept laughing: a screeching, unnatural sound like he was being tickled stupid by demons.

"Y-You're dead for this, runt!" Arthur shouted as the jocks were holding napkins over his cuts. "You hear me?! You're dead!"

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Cronus sat with Kankri in the principal's office, softly holding him in his lap. The Ampora hadn't planned to play chair for the neko, but he was refusing to move and purring like a car engine. Damn his sweet tooth. He bit his lip as Kankri nuzzled the crook of his neck, grabbing his wrist when he started scratching his chin.

"Now is not the time for this…" he murmured, twitching as Kankri poked him in the ribs instead. The Ampora huffed softly, holding both of the boy's wrists as the principal finally walked in and sat at her desk.

"Good morning, boys;" she sighed. "Cronus, why are you here?"

"S-Sorry…" Cronus said softly. "I was worried about him; he's acting really strange today."

"Don't worry; I can see that. Kankri, I've heard from your teachers on several occasions that you've been looking upset, pretty much ever since you started going to school here. And you seem to be having trouble with bullies."

Kankri only nodded a bit.

"Why haven't you told anyone about this before? Why did you let it escalate like this?" As the questions were asked, Cronus found himself wondering the same things.

Kankri didn't answer that one. He only looked into her eyes with a smiling, vapid expression.

"…I see…" the principal mumbled, writing something down.

"He was afraid…" Cronus said out loud as he finally realized. "You were too scared to be a snitch, weren't you?" Kankri stared up at him with the same expression, except now the Ampora confirmed earlier suspicions of the smile being somehow false. The principal gave a small nod and tapped her chin.

"Kankri, how are you feeling today?" she asked calmly.

"I feel simply wonderful, Ms. Mitchell." The neko boy said sweetly with a twitch of his ears. Both of the people around him eyed him oddly; he was speaking as if he hadn't just brutally mauled someone. The principal just cleared her throat and began again.

"Now, Kankri, have you ever taken a sobriety test?"

"A sobriety test?!" Cronus piped up. "Ms. Mitchell, if he fails that test, you'll suspend him!"

"Is there a reason he could fail?" the woman quirked an eyebrow, and Cronus found himself put under fire.

"N-No!" he said quickly, looking down at Kankri. "Never…R-Right, kid?" Kankri giggled softly and smiled.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, Cronus, which means you can get to class; Kankri, come with me." Kankri got up and smiled as Cronus stood up beside him.

"You okay, shorty?" he asked one last time, but he knew the answer.

"Never felt better." The Vantas purred.

"They're gonna ask you some questions and stuff. I have to go, alright?" He pat the shorter boy's head and turned to leave, only to stop when he felt an almost crushing grip on his wrist. When he looked back, he saw the boy's face: That glaze in his eyes was suddenly gone, and the silver pools were filled with guilt and pain; his smile still remained though, stuck there like hardened plaster.

"Kankri, come on." The principal called again, and the Vantas turned away for a moment.

"Coming!" he called, all sugar sweet; he turned back to give Cronus a smile, and his eyes had glazed over again. The Ampora stared in horror after him as he skipped after the woman.

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At lunch, Cronus ran to the lunchroom to find Kankri sitting up on a table while some students stood around him. They seemed so fascinated by him all of a sudden, and one girl was gingerly scratching his ears while the others watched him purr and melt into the touch. Hypocritical assholes…he thought as he approached the table. Kankri looked up at him and sprang off the table, jumping into the Ampora's arms.

"Whoa!" he cried out, just barely catching him. "Uh, hey, shorty. How goes it?" Kankri leaned toward Cronus's ear.

"I'm totally sober, sweetheart." He whispered, and Cronus smiled brightly…though a small part of him was kind of hoping for the opposite; it would at least explain this sudden change.

"That's good to hear, Kankri." He lied.

"But I'm still in trouble for beating Arthur like a cheap drum."

"How much trouble?"

"8 days' worth?"

"You got suspended…" Kankri nodded, still smiling like a company mascot. Cronus sighed heavily, turning on his heel and walking to his friends' table with the neko still in his arms.

"Having fun, Ampora?" Rufioh chuckled, and Cronus glared at him.

"Kankri's in trouble…" he huffed.

"So I heard. Y'know, I think that's how he was getting that crowd. Everyone thought he was normal when they saw he could get in trouble too. Knowing these guys though, it probably won't last."

"What's your dad gonna say about this, pinkie?" Latula asked. Kankri just chuckled.

"I don't know;" he said simply. "But I know he won't freak out. He's very calm."

"Perhaps, but from how he talks about you, you've never gotten into trouble like this." Aranea added, but Kankri just shrugged. Cronus looked around the table, a bit confused on whether or not he should speak. Kanki suddenly took his arm and dragged him away from his chair.

"Pyrope, can you take a picture of us?" he asked happily, clinging to the blushing Ampora's arm. Latula giggled cheerfully and pulled her cell phone from her jumpsuit pocket. The sugar sweet neko hugged him tightly as the small camera flashed. The moment was frozen in a digital immortality: Cronus being tightly embraced by a boy he didn't recognize…

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Cronus handed Kankri back his cell phone; the neko was clearly in no condition to talk to his dad about him getting himself suspended. He had been right though: Karmene hadn't blown up about it. He was silent for a pretty long while though before giving a heavy sigh and saying "What's done is done…" Cronus had also assured him that he and Kankri's other friends would gather on the weekend to help him stay on top of homework. That seemed to reassure him just a little.

Right now though, Cronus sat on his bed, watching Kankri. The Vantas boy was seated on the foot of his bed—actually, now, he was over by the—or maybe he's on the floor, pulling something from under the bed.

"You never told me you play guitar!" he giggled energetically. Cronus just shrugged slightly.

"I-It never came up." He murmured, taking the guitar case from him. "Plus, writing songs isn't as easy for me as it used to be."

"You write songs too?"

"Yeah…They aren't that great, looking back. I was a really different person then. It's not really a time I like thinking back to."

"Do you think you could play something for me?" Cronus smiled softly, setting the case back on the floor and nudging it under the bed.

"Perhaps if you earn it."

"Aw, c'mon, sweetheart…" Cronus rubbed his arm as an odd tingle of uneasiness came over him.

"Kankri?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't call me sweetheart."

"Why not?"

"Because…"

"Why would I stop if you can't give me a reason to?" Cronus sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Because it's weird." He flinched a bit at Kankri's sudden laugh.

"Are you just now noticing I'm weird? People have called me weird my whole life."

"I mean weird for you, Vantas. What's wrong with you today?"

"I told you; I feel great!"

"I know you **feel** great, but you're not! The last time I saw you, you were scrawling words in blood and crying. That was yesterday, Vantas; that kind of flip doesn't happen overnight!"

"Who says it can't?!" he suddenly sounded impatient and irritated.

"Kankri please-" The boy held one finger to his lips, that smile starting to seem frightening again.

"Can we, maybe, **not** discuss this?" he said a bit forcefully; it wasn't a question. Cronus narrowed his eyes and grabbed Kankri's wrist.

"No." he said sternly. "Kankri, something is wrong with you."

"I told I'm fi-" A visible shudder ran through him and he froze.

"…Vantas?"

"H-Help me…" he lifted his head, and Cronus saw the real Kankri; he looked helpless and terrified, his eyes pained and desperate. "I-I want it to stop…Please, I-I hate this." Cronus swallowed a lump in his throat, placing his hands on Kankri's shoulders.

"I'll stop it." He assured the neko, though he had no idea how he would do so.

"N-No, you won't." a soft giggle came from the smaller boy, tears streaming down his cheeks as his eyes glazed over once again, becoming frozen in that panicked state while that inhuman smile reattached itself to his lips. "I told you we weren't going to discuss this." Cronus could only stare in confusion and horror. "Come on now, let's go play." When Kankri took the Ampora's hand, he was quick to pull away. Wrong move…

"Fine!" the boy suddenly snapped, getting up. "I'm going to the park without you. I'll have all the fun I want by myself." He ran off, and Cronus waited until he heard the front door open before getting up to follow him. When he got out the door, the boy was already gone. Cronus swore under his breath; he'd underestimated how fast Kankri was going to be running. He could only hope the neko would still be at the park when he got there.

As he was running through puddles on the sidewalk, he was grabbed by the shoulder by a woman.

"Excuse me;" she said quickly, her shining green eyes frantic. "May I ask where you're going?"

"Uh, no." Cronus said calmly, tapping one foot; he didn't have time for this.

"Please, it's very important; someone could be in danger." Cronus sighed and glared off down the street.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine."

"Was your friend dressed in garish colors and acting strange?" Cronus looked up at the woman accusingly. "I believe I just saw him; I'm afraid he may have run into my brother."

"You know what happened to him?"

"Yes, I think so. My brother's potions can cause unpredictable things like this. I have something that could help him, but I need you to trust me." Cronus sighed heavily; he knew better than to trust strangers on the street, but then again, he knew he would need help if he wanted Kankri back to normal.

"Fine." He said hurriedly, and the woman seemed to relax a bit. "He said he was going to the park." She nodded and followed him as he ran down the street.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A boy in the body of Kankri Vantas was walking along the top bar of the swing set as if it were a balance beam, his tail swishing behind him. To the few people who roamed the park in the rain, he looked like the happiest, though also probably the craziest, boy in the whole county. Cronus watched him sadly from outside his view; ever since he'd met Kankri, he wanted to see him happy; but this was wrong, and knowing now that it wasn't really Kankri gave him slight reassurance.

As he approached the swing set, he saw Kankri's ears fold back; the neko turned and stared down at him, adjusting his feet on the bar. Cronus tensed, knowing he had a very small chance of actually being able to do—

He couldn't dodge Kankri's tackle, and now he was pinned to the wet ground with a crazy cat-boy smiling down at him. He could feel the boy's sharp nails digging into his wrists, and he didn't dare attempt to pull away.

"I knew you couldn't stay away." He purred, sitting on the Ampora's stomach and holding his wrists away from his body. "So, let's play, Ampora." The neko got to his feet beside Cronus, pulling on his arms; the Ampora got to his knees and twisted his wrists somewhat painfully, gripping Kankri's sleeves and resisting his pulling. The boy giggled and wagged his tail, mimicking him and grabbing the sleeves of Cronus's jacket. He dug his heels into the loose dirt and pulled harder, but his unwilling playmate wasn't budging. Neither of them heard the soft sound until Kankri suddenly hissed and tore away. A dart was stuck in the flesh of his arm, and his eyes turned to Cronus, still frozen in the panic he'd seen at his house; he hissed furiously and tackled him again.

"You tricky bastard!" he shouted at him, gripping his shirt collar in the same way he'd done to Arthur. Cronus tensed as the boy's sharp nails poised to scratch him, but he was quick to sit up and catch him when he crumpled, limp and barely conscious. He held the neko close as the woman stepped out from where she'd been hiding and approached.

"I appreciate your assistance, Mr. Ampora." She said calmly, smiling. "Believe me; I'll deal with my brother when I find him."

"Will he be okay?" Cronus asked softly. The woman knelt beside them and carefully pulled the dart from the neko's arm, examining it.

"Yes, he will be just fine; the antidote is working pretty fast. I should warn you: he may have some dizzy spells. He should get plenty of sleep."

"Don't worry; he has plenty of time to sleep." Cronus slipped one arm under Kankri's legs and lifted him up as he stood. "I'll take him home; his father is not going to be happy about this."

"I imagine not, and I'm sorry that I can't help you with that. But if you ever need any natural remedies or anything, you can always bring him to my shop in town." The woman handed him a card and began to walk off.

"H-Hey…" Cronus called after her. "How did you know my last name?" The woman looked back and only smiled slightly and ran off.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Is that what happened?" the true Kankri Vantas asked about half an hour later; Cronus had gone back to his house to get the boy's backpack and umbrella, and now he was carrying the neko back home.

"Yeah…" the Ampora chuckled. "Do you remember anything?"

"All of it… It was horrible…And yet—"

"What?"

"There was a part of me…A small part, mind you—that didn't want to go back to normal."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah… I guess I kind of liked that feeling of power I got from attacking Arthur; and being popular for a few hours was…different."

"Do you remember that you got suspended?"

"Please don't remind me. My dad is going to kill me."

"Yeah, he probably won't believe you were under a spell; he didn't sound too mad when I called him though."

"Perhaps, but a lot's been happening recently. My dad doesn't deserve all this stress."

"So try not to be a burden, shorty. And I'll be there to keep you sane." Kankri gave a tired smile.

"Thank you…sugar." Cronus shot him a playful glare and leaned in, nuzzling his cheek.

"If you're gonna call me sugar, I'm gonna call you Kandy from now on."

"Good god, no…" Kankri quickly tried to change the subject. "Hey… Who was that lady who gave you that card?"

"I can check;" he let Kankri wrap his arms around his neck so he could slip one hand into his pocket and pull out the card. "Says here: …Calliope."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, people, I wrote a Trickster into this story and made an honest-to-gog attempt to have it make sense. Please don't hurt me. *absconds* **


	8. Branching

**A/N: Okay, guys, don't cull me; I've been really busy with two big writing projects from school. I hope you like this chapter, and I'll try to update soon.**

* * *

"Are you two ready?" Karmene called to his house as he sipped his coffee and idly toyed with his car keys. Karkat came down the stairs first, a giggling smile on his face as he looked back upstairs. Kankri followed, looking a bit dejected; his hair and fur still had quite visible evidence of all that neon dye. Karmene couldn't help a soft chuckle and reached out to ruffle the teen's pinkish-black hair.

"Let's get a move on then. Karkat, you can leave your backpack; we might not be back before school lets out." The youngest Vantas tossed his backpack onto the couch and followed his family out the door and into the car. Kankri sat in the backseat with him, leaning on the car door as they drove down the street.

"Is your forehead okay?" he asked his little brother when he noticed him scratching at the bandage under his bangs. He nodded a bit and smiled up at Kankri.

"Is your hair gonna be okay?" he smirked, and Kankri growled at him. Karmene smiled softly in the rearview mirror, chuckling at them as he drove into the city.

The car eventually stopped outside the main police station, and all three males stepped out. As they entered the building, a young girl in uniform and with one arm in a sling suddenly ran over, tagging Karkat's shoulder.

"Stop right there!" she shouted playfully. "You're all under arrest!"

"Oh really?" The young Vantas chuckled. "On what grounds?"

"Because you don't visit us enough!" The girl threw her free arm around Karkat's shoulder, pulling him into a tight embrace. The young boy blushed and smiled.

"What happened to your arm, Junior Officer Pyrope?" Kankri asked with a soft chuckle and a somewhat concerned smile. She adjusted her bright red sunglasses with a toothy grin.

"I broke it." She said simply. "I was skating with Latula yesterday, and I fell kinda hard."

"Is that why you aren't in school?"

"Yeah, it hurt my shoulder when I put my backpack on. So Mom told me to put on my uniform and come to work with her!"

"Terezi?" a woman called from a nearby office. She was just a bit taller than Karmene, and Terezi might as well have been her clone. "Terezi, can you go back to helping Jenny in the training room? I need to talk to these three."

"Yes, chief!" The little Pyrope said happily, waving as she ran off. The woman chuckled softly, motioning the Vantas family into her office. As the three males sat in the chairs in front of her desk, she sat in her own chair and looked them over.

"Kankri…" she murmured. "Your hair is-"

"I know…" Kankri groaned, blushing and looking away. He glared at Karkat when he barely stifled a snicker. The woman chuckled softly and sighed, picking up a folder on her desk.

"Now, Karmene, you explained to me on the phone that your house was robbed about three nights ago." Karmene nodded. "Latula gave me pictures of the leader and two boys she thinks were assisting him. You couldn't identify any of them?"

"I-I saw them…" Karkat said softly. "I think they were from Kankri's school. They chased us once while we were out walking."

"Do you know any of their names, Kankri?"

"Only one…" The teenage Vantas sighed. "And I don't know his last name. It's Arthur. He had a huge patch on his face at school the other day; I knew he had to be the one my dad scratched."

"Now, Kankri," The woman pulled a blown-up cell phone photo from the folder and showed it to him: a familiar jock with a patched up face and a photo album in his hands, flipping off the camera with an ornery sneer. "This is the boy you're talking about?"

"Yes…" Kankri breathed softly.

"And that's the photo album he stole from our house." Karmene added. "Rebecca, do you think you can do anything about him? He's been abusing Kankri for a very long time at this point."

"You don't have to tell me, Karmene, I've seen all the scars. Give me a few hours to get some research. I'll see if he's in my files, and I'll go to the school's records if I have to…"

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"Psst…" Karkat's attention was lured away from Chief Pyrope's talking by the voice of a good friend. His dad and said chief seemed pretty well distracted and he knew Kankri wouldn't mind it; so he slipped out of his chair and snuck out the door. Terezi gave a toothy grin and motioned him to follow her down the hall.

"So, are you still gonna be a cop when you grow up?" Karkat asked with a little smile.

"Of course! I'm gonna be chief! And you will be my lieutenant, Karkles."

"You still think I have what it takes?"

"Yeah! I've seen you fight! You have that crazy pounce-and-scratch thing; I think it'd be great to catch crooks." Karkat blushed faintly and chuckled.

"Oh yeah, check this out." Terezi pulled a necklace out of her pocket, showing it to him: It was made with about a dozen Scalemate charms and a silver chain.

"Wow, nice. You still collect those things?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? Uh, would you mind putting this around my neck for me?" Karkat chuckled and took the necklace, standing behind her and fiddling with the chain's clasp.

"I thought you didn't like jewelry."

"Well, not really; but what's the point of having an awesome necklace if I never wear it?"

"Do you have any new Scalemates too?"

"Don't I always?" She pulled him toward the officers' break room and over to the backpack on the couch. From it, she pulled a pink Scalemate with lots of green spots.

"The guy I got it from said her name is Olive Loaf; I changed it to Strawberry Lime."

"Where'd you get it?"

"A garage sale. You should have seen how messed up she was. I swear, no one knows how to take care of these things." Karkat tapped his chin softly as a thought came to him.

"You usually buy your own Scalemates, right?" he asked.

"A few of them were gifts…"

"Have you ever made your own?"

"You kidding? Me, sewing? Karkles, you're crazy." The slightly taller girl giggled, and Karkat smiled softly.

"Terezi?" Chief Pyrope called from her office. "Bring Karkat back; he has to leave." Karkat gave a slight wave as he turned to leave, only to have Terezi embrace him again.

"You'd better visit me more often." She smiled, resting her chin on his head. "And tell your brother we'll hang that fool by his heels when we catch him. Karkat smiled and nodded happily, running off.

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"Dad, can we stop at the mall before we go home?" Karkat asked. "I want to look for something."

"I suppose we can." Karmene smiled softly. "Kankri needs to get more hair dye remover anyway."

"I suggest you keep your hood up." Karkat teased. The teenager glared at him and growled lowly, ears drooping.

At the mall, Kankri reached up onto a shelf in a hobby store, pulling down a bottle of dye-removing shampoo. A light poke to his ribs made him yelp, and he looked up into the stoic, painted face of his peer.

"Good morning to you too, Makara." He chuckled. Kurloz gave a slight tip of his hand in greeting. He lightly lifted the teenage neko's hood a bit, but Kankri smacked his hand away.

"Not on your life. I don't need you mocking me in sign language or something." Even so, the taller boy had a smirk as he acknowledged the hints of bright blue in the Vantas boy's tail.

"Shut up, Makara." He huffed, pouting. Kurloz stood there with a slight smile, patting Kankri on the head as he accompanied him on his walk around the hobby store.

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In another aisle, Karkat carried a box containing a sewing kit, a big bag of soft stuffing, a container of buttons, and small bottles of a paint that was made for fabric. Under his other arm, he carried a roll of red fabric that the cashier would cut for him.

"Need any help, Kar-bro?" a familiar gravelly voice asked. The neko boy gave a nervous smile as he looked up at his friend.

"Nah, I'm fine, Gamzee." He chuckled.

"What's all this, man? Looks complicated." The young Makara tried to see the box, but Karkat hid it behind his back.

"I-It's nothing." The neko blushed, stepping in small circles to keep the item out of his best friend's sight. Gamzee chuckled knowingly and playfully followed him.

"Sure doesn't seem like nothing." Karkat couldn't help a slight giggle, but then his eyes widened in realization and he put a hand on Gamzee's chest to stop him.

"Y-You're not here by yourself, are you?" he asked nervously.

"Why would I be up in here all by myself?" Karkat looked like he was starting to panic

"Please tell me Kurloz drove you here."

"Kurloz ain't allowed to drive anymore; not after last time. Is something wrong, man?"

"Hold this." The smaller boy huffed before shoving the box and fabric roll into the Makara's arm. He took off running just seconds before he heard the inevitable crash of hobby supplies on the floor a couple aisles away. Gamzee swore under his breath as he finally realized what was happening and quickly followed.

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Holding his ground against the Makara was never easy. The bastard always used his much larger weight and higher strength to try to break him. It would never work though, Karmene knew him too well. He had caught ahold of one of Gavin's fists to block a punch to his face, and his sharp nails hooked into the leather gloves the clown was wearing. Unfortunately, the Makara had his other hand in an identical snare, his eyes running him through like knives. That feeling was pulsing through him again, and it would only take one wrong move…

And it happened: Gavin made the first move, bringing his foot forward in an attempt to sweep his legs. Not this time though, Karmene planted his feet and shifted his weight, pulling his opponent off balance. Some items fell off the shelf when he fell against it, and Karmene ended up dragged down since his nails were still caught in his glove. Gavin laughed, getting to his feet and pulling the neko with him. Karmene hissed, trying to pull away while at the same time attempting a slash across his face.

"Dad, cut it out!" he suddenly realized Karkat was pulling his tail, and he found himself stopping to think. He saw Gamzee pulling Gavin's sleeve, and he couldn't miss the very slight spark in his eyes that said he was thinking about stopping for now. His action didn't say that , though, he gave several harsh yanks on his arm. Karmene rolled his eyes at first; but didn't expect his hand to suddenly come loose, his nails pulling threads out of Gavin's glove, and Gavin's elbow flying back and hitting his son in the face.

"Gamzee!" Karkat cried out, and both parents' faces were those of pure shock. Kurloz and Kankri, who had started running over at Karkat's reprimand on his father, now stood in horror. Kurloz shooed Karkat away from his younger cousin and pulled his hands away from his face. The smaller Makara was breathing heavily through his teeth, trying his best, and failing his hardest, not to cry. Solitary tears slid down his cheeks, smudging the makeup on his face and mixing with the blood that was flowing from his nose.

"Gamzee, I-" Gavin murmured, reaching out to him; but Kurloz scowled at him and swept the boy off the ground, carrying him away without a word. The Vantas boys watched uneasily as Gavin stared guiltily at the floor.

"Gavin, I'm sorry…" Karmene said softly, touching his shoulder. The Makara huffed and pushed him away, getting up and leaving. Karmene sighed; now he had to face the disappointed looks on his own sons' faces.

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In the kids' play area near the mall's food court, Karkat sat in a far corner, cutting a section of the red fabric out and checking the sewing directions from the box. Threading the needle with red thread, he looked at the page through the corner of his eye as he set to work.

"You sew now?" the voice of a familiar peer well trained in the art of irony chuckled.

"Shut up, Strider." Karkat smiled slightly, his focus locked on the fabric in his hands. The other boy knelt beside him and picked up the box, smirking slightly as he looked it over.

"How do you think it'll turn out, fuzzball?"

"It has to be perfect…"

"Well, then you should start over, your stitches are too wide." Karkat pouted and glared up at the Strider's shades.

"What do you know about sewing?"

"I know Dirk is an expert. And he taught me a thing or two." The neko boy sighed and pulled the thread back out, starting all over with the Strider now over his shoulder.

"You'd better be right about this, Dave…"

()()()()()

Nearby, Kankri couldn't bring himself to sit with his father just yet. It probably wouldn't have mattered; the man seemed a bit listless since the earlier fight. Kankri sighed heavily and rested his chin on the table.

"Something the matter, cat-scratch?" a cool, stoic voice asked. Kankri looked up and gave a sad chuckle.

"You and Dave playing hooky again?"

"You know it, Vantas." The older Strider slid into the chair across from him, his triangular shades reflecting his disappointed face back at him. "Y'know what else?"

"What else?" Kankri mumbled.

"Your face is all over the school's online newspaper. Except it's smiling, like way too big."

"Please don't remind me. You have no idea how hard I've been trying to forget that ever happened."

"I hear ya, man. Sounds like it was pretty crazy." Kankri grumbled in response...

"Blatantly changing the subject," he spoke a second later. "are you really in a safe enough position to play hooky? Last I checked, you're pretty close to failing history."

"I'll be fine, Vantas. I got you to tutor me if I get too far in the hole."

"Holes, huh? I feel tempted to take the shovel you're using to dig and hit you with it. You know you have to learn your own way." The Strider smirked.

"No need to be hostile, man. It's just a metaphor." Dirk reached out and ruffled his hair. "You feeling better now?"

"I admit talking helps a little. My dad is pretty upset though; I don't know what to say to him..."

"He been fighting again?"

"You are truly all-knowing, Strider."

"I'll tell ya what I did back when Dave and Eridan would fight. If push comes to shove, it could help." Kankri's ears perked eagerly as Dirk explained a pretty simple plan.


End file.
